Wisdom 19

1But as to the wicked, even to the end there came upon them wrath without mercy. For he knew before also what they would do:

2For when they had given them leave to depart and had sent them away with great care, they repented and pursued after them.

3For whilst they were yet mourning, and lamenting at the graves of the dead, they took up another foolish device: and pursued them as fugitives whom they had pressed to be gone:

4For a necessity, of which they were worthy, brought them to this end: and they lost the remembrance of those things which had happened, that their punishment might fill up what was wanting to their torments:

5And that thy people might wonderfully pass through, but they might find a new death.

6For every creature, according to its kind was fashioned again as from the beginning, obeying thy commandments, that thy children might be kept without hurt.

7For a cloud overshadowed their camps and where water was before, dry land appeared, and in the Red Sea a way without hindrance, and out of the great deep a springing field:

8Through which all the nation passed which was protected with thy hand, seeing thy miracles and wonders.

9For they fed on their food like horses, and they skipped like lambs, praising thee, O Lord, who hadst delivered them.

10For they were yet mindful of those things which had been done in the time of their sojourning, how the ground brought forth flies instead of cattle, and how the river cast up a multitude of frogs instead of fishes.

11And at length they saw a new generation of birds, when being led by their appetite, they asked for delicate meats.

12For to satisfy their desire, the quail came up to them from the sea: and punishments came upon the sinners, not without foregoing signs by the force of thunders: for they suffered justly according to their own wickedness.

13For they exercised a more detestable inhospitality than any: others indeed received not strangers unknown to them, but these brought their guests into bondage that had deserved well of them.

14And not only so, but in another respect also they were worse: for the others against their will received the strangers.

15But these grievously afflicted them whom they had received with joy, and who lived under the same laws.

16But they were struck with blindness: as those others were at the doors of the just man, when they were covered with sudden darkness, and every one sought the passage of his own door.

17For while the elements are changed in themselves, as in an instrument the sound of the quality is changed, yet all keep their sound: which may clearly be perceived by the very sight.

18For the things of the land were turned into things of the water: and the things that before swam in the water passed upon the land.

19The fire had power in water above its own virtue, and the water forgot its quenching nature.

20On the other side, the flames wasted not the flesh of corruptible animals walking therein, neither did they melt that good food, which was apt to melt as ice. For in all things thou didst magnify thy people, O Lord, and didst honour them, and didst not despise them, but didst assist them at all times, and in every place.

1Impiis autem usque in novissimum sine misericordia ira supervenit. Præsciebat enim et futura illorum :

2quoniam cum ipsi permisissent ut se educerent, et cum magna sollicitudine præmisissent illos, consequebantur illos, pœnitentia acti.

3Adhuc enim inter manus habentes luctum, et deplorantes ad monumenta mortuorum, aliam sibi assumpserunt cogitationem inscientiæ, et quos rogantes projecerant, hos tamquam fugitivos persequebantur.

4Ducebat enim illos ad hunc finem digna necessitas; et horum quæ acciderant commemorationem amittebant, ut quæ deerant tormentis repleret punitio :

5et populus quidem tuus mirabiliter transiret, illi autem novam mortem invenirent.

6Omnis enim creatura ad suum genus ab initio refigurabatur, deserviens tuis præceptis, ut pueri tui custodirentur illæsi.

7Nam nubes castra eorum obumbrabat, et ex aqua quæ ante erat, terra arida apparuit, et in mari Rubro via sine impedimento, et campus germinans de profundo nimio :

8per quem omnis natio transivit quæ tegebatur tua manu, videntes tua mirabilia et monstra.

9Tamquam enim equi depaverunt escam, et tamquam agni exsultaverunt, magnificantes te, Domine, qui liberasti illos.

10Memores enim erant adhuc eorum quæ in incolatu illorum facta fuerant : quemadmodum pro natione animalium eduxit terra muscas, et pro piscibus eructavit fluvius multitudinem ranarum.

11Novissime autem viderunt novam creaturam avium, cum, adducti concupiscentia, postulaverunt escas epulationis.

12In allocutione enim desiderii ascendit illis de mari ortygometra:

13et vexationes peccatoribus supervenerunt, non sine illis quæ ante facta erant argumentis per vim fulminum : juste enim patiebantur secundum suas nequitias.

14Etenim detestabiliorem inhospitalitatem instituerunt : alii quidem ignotos non recipiebant advenas; alii autem bonos hospites in servitutem redigebant.

15Et non solum hæc, sed et alius quidam respectus illorum erat, quoniam inviti recipiebant extraneos.

16Qui autem cum lætitia receperunt hos qui eisdem usi erant justitiis, sævissimis afflixerunt doloribus.

17Percussi sunt autem cæcitate : sicut illi in foribus justi, cum subitaneis cooperti essent tenebris, unusquisque transitum ostii sui quærebat.

18In se enim elementa dum convertuntur, sicut in organo qualitatis sonus immutatur, et omnia suum sonum custodiunt : unde æstimari ex ipso visu certo potest.

19Agrestia enim in aquatica convertebantur, et quæcumque erant natantia, in terram transibant.

20Ignis in aqua valebat supra suam virtutem, et aqua extinguentis naturæ obliviscebatur.

21Flammæ e contrario corruptibilium animalium non vexaverunt carnes coambulantium, nec dissolvebant illam, quæ facile dissolvebatur sicut glacies, bonam escam.

22In omnibus enim magnificasti populum tuum, Domine, et honorasti, et non despexisti, in omni tempore et in omni loco assistens eis.

1τοῖς δὲ ἀσεβέσιν μέχρι τέλους ἀνελεήμων θυμὸς ἐπέστη προῄδει γὰρ αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα

2ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐπιτρέψαντες τοῦ ἀπιέναι καὶ μετὰ σπουδῆς προπέμψαντες αὐτοὺς διώξουσιν μεταμεληθέντες

3ἔτι γὰρ ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες τὰ πένθη καὶ προσοδυρόμενοι τάφοις νεκρῶν ἕτερον ἐπεσπάσαντο λογισμὸν ἀνοίας καὶ οὓς ἱκετεύοντες ἐξέβαλον τούτους ὡς φυγάδας ἐδίωκον

4εἷλκεν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἡ ἀξία ἐπὶ τοῦτο τὸ πέρας ἀνάγκη καὶ τῶν συμβεβηκότων ἀμνηστίαν ἐνέβαλεν ἵνα τὴν λείπουσαν ταῖς βασάνοις προσαναπληρώσωσιν κόλασιν

5καὶ ὁ μὲν λαός σου παράδοξον ὁδοιπορίαν πειράσῃ ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ξένον εὕρωσι θάνατον

6ὅλη γὰρ ἡ κτίσις ἐν ἰδίῳ γένει πάλιν ἄνωθεν διετυποῦτο ὑπηρετοῦσα ταῖς σαῖς ἐπιταγαῖς ἵνα οἱ σοὶ παῖδες φυλαχθῶσιν ἀβλαβεῖς

7ἡ τὴν παρεμβολὴν σκιάζουσα νεφέλη ἐκ δὲ προϋφεστῶτος ὕδατος ξηρᾶς ἀνάδυσις γῆς ἐθεωρήθη ἐξ ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ὁδὸς ἀνεμπόδιστος καὶ χλοηφόρον πεδίον ἐκ κλύδωνος βιαίου

8δι' οὗ πανεθνεὶ διῆλθον οἱ τῇ σῇ σκεπαζόμενοι χειρὶ θεωρήσαντες θαυμαστὰ τέρατα

9ὡς γὰρ ἵπποι ἐνεμήθησαν καὶ ὡς ἀμνοὶ διεσκίρτησαν αἰνοῦντές σε κύριε τὸν ῥυσάμενον αὐτούς

10ἐμέμνηντο γὰρ ἔτι τῶν ἐν τῇ παροικίᾳ αὐτῶν πῶς ἀντὶ μὲν γενέσεως ζῴων ἐξήγαγεν ἡ γῆ σκνῖπα ἀντὶ δὲ ἐνύδρων ἐξηρεύξατο ὁ ποταμὸς πλῆθος βατράχων

11ἐφ' ὑστέρῳ δὲ εἶδον καὶ γένεσιν νέαν ὀρνέων ὅτε ἐπιθυμίᾳ προαχθέντες ᾐτήσαντο ἐδέσματα τρυφῆς

12εἰς γὰρ παραμυθίαν ἐκ θαλάσσης ἀνέβη αὐτοῖς ὀρτυγομήτρα

13καὶ αἱ τιμωρίαι τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς ἐπῆλθον οὐκ ἄνευ τῶν προγεγονότων τεκμηρίων τῇ βίᾳ τῶν κεραυνῶν δικαίως γὰρ ἔπασχον ταῖς ἰδίαις αὐτῶν πονηρίαις

14καὶ γὰρ χαλεπωτέραν μισοξενίαν ἐπετήδευσαν οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας οὐκ ἐδέχοντο παρόντας οὗτοι δὲ εὐεργέτας ξένους ἐδουλοῦντο

15καὶ οὐ μόνον ἀλλ' ἤ τις ἐπισκοπὴ ἔσται αὐτῶν ἐπεὶ ἀπεχθῶς προσεδέχοντο τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους

16οἱ δὲ μετὰ ἑορτασμάτων εἰσδεξάμενοι τοὺς ἤδη τῶν αὐτῶν μετεσχηκότας δικαίων δεινοῖς ἐκάκωσαν πόνοις

17ἐπλήγησαν δὲ καὶ ἀορασίᾳ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπὶ ταῖς τοῦ δικαίου θύραις ὅτε ἀχανεῖ περιβληθέντες σκότει ἕκαστος τῶν ἑαυτοῦ θυρῶν τὴν δίοδον ἐζήτει

18δι' ἑαυτῶν γὰρ τὰ στοιχεῖα μεθαρμοζόμενα ὥσπερ ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ φθόγγοι τοῦ ῥυθμοῦ τὸ ὄνομα διαλλάσσουσιν πάντοτε μένοντα ἤχῳ ὅπερ ἐστὶν εἰκάσαι ἐκ τῆς τῶν γεγονότων ὄψεως ἀκριβῶς

19χερσαῖα γὰρ εἰς ἔνυδρα μετεβάλλετο καὶ νηκτὰ μετέβαινεν ἐπὶ γῆς

20πῦρ ἴσχυεν ἐν ὕδατι τῆς ἰδίας δυνάμεως καὶ ὕδωρ τῆς σβεστικῆς φύσεως ἐπελανθάνετο

21φλόγες ἀνάπαλιν εὐφθάρτων ζῴων οὐκ ἐμάραναν σάρκας ἐμπεριπατούντων οὐδὲ τηκτὸν κρυσταλλοειδὲς εὔτηκτον γένος ἀμβροσίας τροφῆς

22κατὰ πάντα γάρ κύριε ἐμεγάλυνας τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐδόξασας καὶ οὐχ ὑπερεῖδες ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ καὶ τόπῳ παριστάμενος