不认识圣经，就是不认识基督，不认识基督，就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。
旧约·智慧篇
共19章:
前编 智慧的重要与性质(1-9)
第一章(16)
人应爱正义
1:1
统治世界的人，你们应爱正义，对上主应有正确的观念，应以诚朴的心寻求上主，
1:2
因为，凡不试探上主的，都可以寻到上主；对上主不失信的，上主必向他显示自己。
1:3
邪曲的思想，使人离开天主；愚人试探全能者，只有使自己蒙羞，
1:4
因为，智慧不进入存心不良的灵魂里，也不住在一个屈服于罪恶的身体内。
1:5
实在，施训的圣神，远避欺诈，远离无知的思念；不义一到，即刻退去。
不可妄言
1:6
智慧是爱人的神，口出咒语的人，她必惩罚；因为天主洞悉他的内心，确切监视他的心灵，听闻他的言语；
1:7
实在，上主的神充满了世界，包罗万象，通晓一切语言。
1:8
为此，谈论不义之事的，无不终被识破；执行报复的正义，也决不会将他放过。
1:9
因为恶人的思念，必将受审讯；上主听到他的言语，必惩罚他的罪行。
1:10
原来天主嫉恶的耳朵，能听万事；连低声的怨言，也隐藏不住。
1:11
所以，你们要谨防无益的怨言，禁止口舌，别说毁谤的话；因为暗中的言语，决不会空空过去；说谎的口舌，必杀害灵魂。
不要犯罪,以免永死
1:12
不要因生活堕落而自招丧亡，也不要因你们双手的作为而自取灭亡，
1:13
因为天主并未造死亡，也不乐意生灵灭亡。
1:14
他造了万物，为叫它们生存；世上的生物都有生命力，本身都没有致命的毒素，阴府在地上也没有权势；
1:15
因为正义是不死不灭的。
1:16
但是，不义的人，因自己的言行自招死亡，与死亡相爱相恋，结立盟约，实堪作死亡的伴侣。
第二章(25)
恶人贪想世乐
2:1 恶人们胡思乱想自语说：「我们的生命又短促，又多愁；人的死期一到，又没有办法补救，也从不见有人从阴府回来。
2:2
我们原是偶然而生，过后我们又好象未曾生存过；我们鼻中的气息只是一阵烟雾，思想亦不过是心动迸出的火花；
2:3
火花一旦熄灭，身躯即变成灰土，魂魄即像轻风消散。
2:4
我们的名字，随时被人遗忘，无人追念我们的工作；我们的生命消逝，有如一丝浮云，又如为日光所驱散，被热力所蒸化的烟雾。
2:5
实在，我们的时日，有如疾驰的阴影；我们一死去，再不得返回，因为一经盖印，无人再能返回。
2:6
所以，来!让我们享受现有的美福，趁年青及时消受这世界。
2:7
我们要痛饮美酒，浓施香液，莫让春花空空溜过。
2:8
在玫瑰花尚未萎谢以前，用来作我们的花冠；【我们要随处享乐，连一块草地也别放过。】
2:9
凡是乐事，我们不要放过，到处要留下我们欢乐的痕迹，因为这是我们的名份，我们的命运。
恶人共谋压迫义人
2:10 我们要压迫穷苦的义人，不必顾惜寡妇，连白发年高的老人，也不必敬重。
2:11
我们的势力，就是正义的法律，因为软弱只呈现自己无用。
2:12
我们要陷害义人，因为他太令我们讨厌，反对我们的作为，指责我们违犯法律，控诉我们品行不检，
2:13
自夸认识天主，自称是上主的仆人，
2:14
自充我们思想的裁判员，我们一见他，就感觉讨厌；
2:15
因为他的生活与众不同，他的行径与人两样。
2:16
他竟将我们视作杂种，远避我们的行径，像远避不洁之物；声言义人有幸福的结局，且自夸有天主为父。
2:17
我们且看他的话是否属实，看他究有什么结局。
2:18
因为，如果义人是天主的儿子，天主定要帮助他，拯救他脱离敌人的手。
2:19
来罢!我们用耻辱和酷刑试验他，查看他是否温良，考验他是否忍耐。
2:20
我们判他受可耻的死刑，看他是否蒙受眷顾，如他所说的一样。」
死亡来自魔鬼的嫉妒
2:21 他们这样思想真是荒谬，因为邪恶使他们丧失了理智，
2:22
不明了天主的奥理，不希望圣德的酬报，也不赏识无罪灵魂的奖赏。
2:23
其实天主造了人，原是不死不灭的，使他成为自己本性的肖像；
2:24
但因魔鬼的嫉妒，死亡才进入了世界；
2:25
只有与他结缘的人，才经历死亡。
第三章(19)
义人的幸福
3:1 义人的灵魂在天主手里，痛苦不能伤害他们。
3:2
在愚人看来，他们算是死了，认为他们去世是受了惩罚，
3:3
离我们而去，彷佛是归于泯灭；其实，他们是处于安宁中；
3:4
虽然在人看来，他们是受了苦；其实，却充满着永生的希望。
3:5
他们受了些许的痛苦，却要蒙受绝大的恩惠，因为天主试验了他们，发觉他们配作自己的人：
3:6
他试炼了他们，好象炉中的黄金；悦纳了他们，有如悦纳全燔祭。
3:7
他们蒙眷顾时，必要闪烁发光，有如禾秸间往来飞驰的火花。
3:8
他们要审判万国，统治万民，上主要永远作他们的君王。
3:9
倚恃上主的人，必明白真理；忠信于上主之爱的人，必与他同住，因为恩泽与仁慈，原归于他所选拔的人。
恶人的灾祸
3:10 但是不虔敬的人，必因他们的思念而遭受惩罚，因为他们蔑视了义人，离弃了上主。
3:11
轻视智慧和教训的人是有祸的：他们的希望只有落空，劳苦只有徒劳，工作只有失败；
3:12
他们的妻子愚蠢，子女邪恶，后裔可咒骂。
义人与恶人的比较
3:13 荒胎无罪，而又不知床笫罪恶的妇女，是有福的；到灵魂受眷顾的时候，她必富有果实。
3:14
同样，不生育的男人，手若不作非法的行为，心不思念相反上主的恶事，是有福的；天主见他忠贞，必赐给他特赏，在上主的圣殿中，赐给他更称心的一份。
3:15
因为高尚的劳苦必结荣誉的果实，智慧的根蒂绝不会中断。
3:16
淫乱的儿子长不到成年，茍合而生的子孙必将灭绝。
3:17
他们纵使长命，也不值一文；就是到了高年，也无人尊敬；
3:18
假若他们早死，也没有什么希望，在审判之日，也没有安慰。
3:19
恶人后裔的结局实在悲惨。
第四章(20)
对义人和恶人再作比较
4:1 纯洁的后代，是多么光辉，多么美丽!更好是无子而有道德，因为道德的记念，永存不朽，常为天主和世人所赏识。
4:2
有道德在，人都效法；道德不在，人都期待；道德在永远加冕奏凯，因为她在为无玷的报酬奋斗，获得了胜利。
4:3
不虔敬者的子孙，虽然众多，一无所用；杂种的苗裔，扎根不深，根底不稳；
4:4
即使一时枝叶繁茂，但因札根不深，风一吹即摇动；暴风一发，即连根拔出；
4:5
嫩枝尚未长成；即被打断；结的果实毫无益处，酸得不能吃，毫无用途。
4:6
到了审判之日，凡不合法而生的子女，将作他们父母淫行的证人。
义人安死
4:7 义人纵或夭折，亦必获享安息。
4:8
因为，可敬的老年并不在于高寿，也不在于以年岁来衡量；
4:9
其实；人的老年是在于有智慧，高寿是在于生活纯洁。
4:10
这样的人悦乐了天主，也为天主所爱，因他生活在罪人中间，所以天主把他接去。
4:11
他被接去，免得邪恶改变了他的心意，虚伪迷惑了他的心灵；
4:12
因为罪恶的蛊惑，使人丧失天良；情欲的风暴，毁坏纯朴的心灵。
4:13
他在短期内成为完人，与满享高寿无异。
4:14
他的灵魂使天主悦乐，因此，天主迅速将他从邪恶之中提去。世人见了，并不明了，也不存心细想；
4:15
他拣选的人，必获恩宠和仁慈；对他虔诚的人，必蒙眷顾。
恶人恶终
4:16 死去的义人，是判定活着而不虔敬的人有罪；夭折的青年完人，是判定高寿而不义的老年人有罪。
4:17
这般人虽然看到智慧人的结局，却不明了上主对他有什么计划，也不明了上主为什么使他平安无恙；
4:18
他们见了，反而嗤笑，但上主却要讥笑他们。
4:19
最后，他们将成为一具卑鄙的死尸，是亡者中的永远的耻辱，因为上主要将他们打倒在地，使之俯首无言，连根拔除，彻底破坏，长处于痛苦中，永无记念存在。
4:20
在清算他们的罪恶时，他们将战兢前来受审，他们的邪恶要起来作证，控告他们。
第五章(24)
审判之日,恶人后悔莫及
5:1 那时，义人有恃无恐，站在那些曾经压迫他，轻视他受苦的人面前；
5:2
他们一见，不胜惊恐，惊奇他也意外获得了救恩。
5:3
他们必将懊悔心伤地彼此叹息竟说：「这就是我们曾一度讥笑侮辱过的那人!
5:4
我们真胡涂，曾将他的生活视为愚狂，曾将他的死亡视为耻辱。
5:5
他怎么也被列在天主的儿子中﹖怎么在圣人中也有他的分子﹖
5:6
显然是我们偏离了真理的道路，正义的光没有烛照过我们，智慧的太阳也没有为我们升起。
5:7
我们走遍了邪恶与灭亡的行径，穿过了无路的旷野，唯有上主的道路，我们却没有认识。
5:8
傲慢为我们有什么用处﹖财富与虚荣为我们又有什么利益﹖
世界是虚幻的
5:9 这一切都过去了，像阴影，像疾逝的流言；
5:10
像在波涛起伏的水面上航行的船只，驶过之后，无迹可寻，波涛里也没有留下船行的踪迹；
5:11
或如空中飞过的鸟，一去无踪；它鼓翼而飞，用力冲击，一路穿破轻微的空气，振翼飞过之后，也不见飞过的痕迹；
5:12
或如射向靶子的箭，穿破的空气立即复原，认不出它经过的路径，
5:13
我们也是这样，刚一出生，即不存在，没有表现一点功德的痕迹，只在邪恶中消耗了我们的一生。
5:14
【罪人在地狱中说了这些话。】
5:15
的确，恶人的希望，像被风吹去的糠秕，像被暴风刮去的薄霜，像被风飘散的云烟，像投宿一日即行消逝的旅客记念。
义人的凯旋
5:16 至于义人却永远生存；在上主那里，有他们的酬报；在至高者那里，有他们的照顾。
5:17
因此，他们要从上主手中，得到荣耀的王位，华丽的冠冕，因为上主要用右手庇护他们，以自己的手臂保卫他们。
5:18
上主必以嫉愤作武器，武装受造之物来报复仇敌；
5:19
必披上正义，当作胸甲：戴上正直的判断，当作钢盔，
5:20
拿上无敌的圣洁，当作盾牌，
5:21
磨尖盛怒有如利刃；整个世界都要跟随他来攻击愚顽的人。
5:22
闪电的火箭，必由张开的云弓射出，奔向靶子；
5:23
由云架中，将射出含怒的冰雹；海水必怒号冲击他们，江河必泛滥淹灭他们；
5:24
全能者向他们一吹气，他们即如为旋风所吹散。不法的事要使全球变成荒域，邪恶要倾覆有权势的座位。
第六章(27)
请掌权者研究智慧
6:1 【智慧胜于体力，智者胜于勇士。】
6:2
所以，列王!你们要听，且要明白；世上的判官!你们应受教；
6:3
统治群众，因百姓众多而自负者!你们应当倾听：
6:4
你们的权威，是由上主赐予的，高位是来自至高者，他要检查你们的作为，查究你们的心意。
6:5
因为，你们是他王国的公仆，如果你们判案不公，不守法律，不按天主的旨意行事，
6:6
天主必要可怕而迅速地临于你们，对身居高位的，执行严厉的审判。
6:7
因为，卑微的人，还堪怜可恕；有权势的，必受严厉的拷问。
6:8
万有的主宰决不顾情面，也不畏惧权势，因为无论大小，都是他造的；他对一切，都一律加以照顾；
6:9
但对有权势的人必严加审讯。
6:10
所以，各位君侯!我的话是对你们说的，要你们学习智慧，不再失职。
6:11
谁圣善地持守圣善的法律，便是圣善的人；谁学习这些法律，必会寻得辩护。
6:12
所以你们应思慕我的话，珍爱我的话；如此，你们必将深受教益。
研究智慧的益处
6:13 智慧是光明的，从不暗淡；爱慕她的，很容易看见她；寻觅她的，就可找到她；
6:14
一有追求她的志愿，她必预先显示给他们。
6:15
早起寻求她的，不必费劳，因为必发现她坐在门前。
6:16
思念智慧，是齐全的明哲；为她守夜不寐的，很快就必无顾虑。
6:17
因为，智慧到处寻找配得上自己的人，她在路上亲切地把自己显示出来，很关心地迎接他们。
6:18
智慧的真起点，是切愿受教；
6:19
切愿受教就是爱；爱即在于遵守法律；遵守法律，便是不朽的保证；
6:20
不朽使人亲近天主；
6:21
所以，慕求智慧引人高登王位。
6:22
万民的君候!你们若喜爱王位与王权，就应尊重智慧，好能永居王位。
6:23
【万民的统治者，你们应爱慕智慧的光明!】
智慧的性质
6:24 我要陈述，什么是智慧，她是怎样有的；我决不向你们隐瞒她的妙理，反而探源索本，将对她的认识公开陈述，决不歪屈真理。
6:25
我决不与使人消沉的嫉妒同行，因为，它与智慧绝无共同之处。
6:26
智慧人众多，世界才有救；君王明达，民生才安定。
6:27
所以，你们应接受我的训言；如此，你们必受教益。
第七章(30)
生死人人相同
7:1 我也是有死的人，同众人一样；我也是出于用土受造的原祖，在母胎中形成了肉躯，
7:2
十月之久，在母血中凝结，由男精与合梦的欲乐而形成。
7:3
我一出生，便呼吸了公共的空气，落在具有同一命运的地上，哭出了第一声，与众人无异；
7:4
我在襁褓中，受了母亲的抚育和照顾。
7:5
没有一位君王，另有不同的诞生，
7:6
因为，人人进入生命的路，只有一条，去世亦然。
智慧的高贵
7:7 为此，我曾祈求，天主就赐给了我聪明；我曾呼吁，智慧的神便临于我身。
7:8
我宁要智慧，而不要王权和王位；财富与她相较，分文不值。
7:9
无价的宝石也不能与她相比，因为，一切黄金在她面前，不过只是一粒细沙；白银在她跟前，无异一撮泥土。
7:10
我爱她，胜过爱健康和美色，我以她比光明更为可取，因为，由她而来的光辉，从不暗淡。
7:11
的确，一切美物都伴她而来，在她手中握有数不清的财富。
7:12
为了这一切美物，我极其欢乐，因为，智慧是一切美物的先导；我一向还不知道，智慧竟是一切美物的母亲。
7:13
我诚心地学习了，我也豪爽地分施与人，我绝不隐藏智慧的财富。
7:14
因为智慧是人用之不尽的宝藏；凡占有的人，必获得天主的友爱，赖受教而获得的恩赐，深得天主的欢心。
智慧的善果
7:15 愿天主使我遵照他的意愿说话，使我的思想配合他的恩赐，因为是他领导智慧，引导智者；
7:16
原来，我们和我们的言论，我们的一切聪明和技巧，都在他手中。
7:17
是他把所有事物的正确知识赐给了我，使我明了世界的构造，和元素的能量，
7:18
时间的始末和中心，冬至夏至的转变，和季节的变更，
7:19
年岁的循环与星辰的位置，
7:20
生物的天性，和野兽的本能，鬼神的力量，和人类的思想，植物的繁杂，和草根的效能。
7:21
所有或隐或明的事，我都知道，因为教导我的，是造万物的技师──智慧。
智慧的本体和美德
7:22 在她内的神，原是聪明的，至圣的，唯一的，多样的，微妙的，敏捷的，精明的，无玷的，率直的，不受损害的，好善的，锐敏的，
7:23
无敌的，施惠的，爱人的，稳固的，坚决的，无虑的，无所不能的，无所不察的，又是洞察所有明达、洁净和精微心灵的。
7:24
实在，智慧比一切活动更为活动；她是如此精纯，能渗透深入一切。
7:25
她是天主威能的气息，是全能者荣耀的真诚流露；因此，任何污秽都不能浸入她内。
7:26
她是永远光明的反映，是天主德能的明镜，是天主美善的肖像。
7:27
她虽是独一的，却无所不能；她虽恒存不变，却常使万物更新。她世世代代，进入圣善的灵魂，使他们成为天主的朋友和先知；
7:28
因为，天主只爱那与智慧同居共处的人。
7:29
实在，智慧比太阳还美丽，压倒一切星座；如与光明相比，她必占优势；
7:30
因为，光明还要让位于黑夜，但是邪恶绝不能战胜智慧。
第八章(21)
8:1 智慧施展威力，从地极直达地极，从容治理万物。
智慧包罗一切美善
8:2 我爱慕智慧，自幼就寻求她，设法娶她作我的配偶：我实在喜爱她的美丽，
8:3
因她与天主共同生活，更彰显了她出身的尊贵；万有的主宰也喜爱她。
8:4
她实在透彻天主的奥秘，自行决择天主的工程。
8:5
如果财富是今生所极贪求的对像，有什么比创造一切的智慧更为富足﹖
8:6
如果理智指导工作，那么，在万有中有谁比智慧更配作技师﹖
8:7
若有人爱慕正义，应知道：德行是智慧工作的效果，因为她教训人节制、明智、公义和勇敢：在此生没有比这些为人更有裨益。
8:8
若有人希望有丰富的经验，智慧知道往古，推测未来，通晓深言奥意，会解释谜语，预知异迹和奇事，年代和世纪的结局。
撒罗满渴慕智慧
8:9 为此，我决意娶她与我一同生活，深知她是我顺境中的参谋，是我忧虑与困苦中的安慰。
8:10
我虽然年幼，借着她，我在民众中必获荣耀，必为长老所尊重；
8:11
我在断案时，必断狱机敏，有权势的人见了，都对我表示钦佩。【长官见了，莫不对我惊奇。】
8:12
我沉默，他们就静候；我发言，他们就侧耳静听；我若讲论不绝，他们就用手掩住自己的口。
8:13
借着她，我将永垂不朽，且为我以后的人，留下永恒的记念。
8:14
我要统治万民，列邦都要归顺我。
8:15
可畏的君侯听见我必要恐惧；在民众前，我将显示温良；在战争时，我将显出勇敢。
8:16
回到家中，只有在她身傍，我才获得安息；因为只要与她为伴，便没有苦恼；与她共同生活，便没有悲哀，只有喜乐和愉快。
智慧是天主的恩赐
8:17 我每一念及这些思想，心里反复思量：不死不灭是在于与智慧亲近，
8:18
纯洁的喜乐是在于与智慧为友，无尽的财富是在于智慧手中的工作；明哲是在于与智慧结交，声誉是在于与智慧交谈；因此，我寻遍方法，好能将她娶到手中。
8:19
我原是个性善的孩子，获得了个善良的灵魂；
8:20
或更好说，因为我善良，我进入了一个无玷的身体内；
8:21
但我知道，天主若不将她赐给我，我不会获得她──连知道这是谁的恩赐，已经是由于智慧──我于是转向上主全心祈求他说：
第九章(19)
求智慧经文
9:1 「列祖的天主，仁慈的上主!你用你的言语，创作了一切，
9:2
以你的智慧造了人，使他统治你所造的万物，
9:3
吩咐他以圣德和正义，管理世界，以正直的心，施行权力：
9:4
求你赐给我侍立于你座旁的智慧，不要将我从你仆人中开除；
9:5
因为，我是你的仆人，是你婢女的儿子，是病弱短命，对正义与法律绝少认识的人。
9:6
在人子中，即便有人是完人，如果没有出于你的智慧，他实算不了什么。
人无智慧,不能悦乐天主
9:7 你曾选拔我，作你百姓的君王，作你子女的判官。
9:8
你曾命令我，在你的圣山上建造圣殿，在你居住的城邑内修筑祭坛，仿造你起初所备置的圣幕的式样。
9:9
智慧与你同在，她洞悉你的工作；当你创造世界的时候，她已在场，知道你喜悦什么，知道按你的法律，甚么是正当的。
9:10
求你从你的圣天上，遣发智慧，从你荣耀的宝座旁，派遣她来，与我共处同劳，教我知道什么是你喜悦的事。
9:11
因为她知道一切，通达一切，能引导我行事明智，以自己的德能保护我。
9:12
这样，我的工作必蒙悦纳，治理你的百姓可以公正，配坐我父亲的宝座。人无智慧，不能获得救恩。
9:13
有谁能知道天主的计划，有谁能想象上主的意愿﹖
9:14
有死的人的思想，常是不定的，我们人的计谋常是无常的；
9:15
因为，这必腐朽的肉身，重压着灵魂；这属于土的寓所，迫使精神多虑。
9:16
世上的事，我们还难以测度；目前的事，我们还得费力追求；那么，天上的事谁还能探究﹖
9:17
你若不赐予智慧，从高天派遣你的圣神，谁能知道你的旨意﹖
9:18
这样，世人的道路才得修直了，人们才可学习你喜悦的事，
9:19
赖智慧获得救援。」
后编 智慧的伟大成就(10-19)
第十章(21)
随从与背弃智慧的后果:由亚当至诺厄
10:1 智慧保护了最初受造，世界上唯一的原祖，
10:2
救他脱离了本身的罪过，给了他统治万物的能力。
10:3
但当不义者在愤怒中背弃了智慧，遂怒杀兄弟而自取灭亡。
10:4
因他的缘故，洪水淹没了世界，仍是智慧指引义人，借着贱价的木材，拯救了世界。
亚巴郎和罗特
10:5 当列国同谋作恶而混乱时，智慧又辨别出义人来，加以保护，使他在天主前无瑕可指；当他痛惜儿子时，又坚强了他。
10:6
当不虔敬的人被毁灭时，智慧救了义人，逃脱了那降在五城的天火；
10:7
为证明他们的邪恶，这块荒地还在冒烟；树木结果，却不成熟；盐柱留在那里，以作那无信的灵魂的纪念碑。
10:8
因为他们离弃了智慧，不但害得自己不认识善事，而且还给世人留下了他们愚妄的纪念，致使他们的过犯一点也不能隐瞒。
雅各伯和若瑟
10:9 但是，智慧却从困难中拯救了崇拜她的人。
10:10
智慧引导逃避长兄愤怒的义人，走上了正路；将天主的国指示给他。叫他明白神圣的事；在困苦之中使他顺利，令他的勤劳效果丰满。
10:11
有人由于贪婪，窘迫他时，智慧又在旁协助，使他致富。
10:12
智慧保护他脱离仇敌，使他安全，不受暗算；在他博斗时，使他获胜，叫他明了虔敬的能力，高于一切。
10:13
智慧没有离弃被卖的义人，反而救他免于罪恶；
10:14
与他同入坑狱，在缧绁之中，也没有舍弃他，直到令他取得王权，统治欺压他的人们，证明诬谤他的人说的尽是谎言；赏给了他永垂不朽的光荣。
选民出埃及
10:15
智慧拯救了圣洁的民族，使无瑕可指的种族，脱离压迫他们的异民。
10:16
她进入了上主仆人的灵魂，借异能和奇迹，对抗可畏的君王。
10:17
她酬报了圣徒的劳苦，领他们走上了奇妙的道路：日间作他们的荫凉，夜里作他们的星光；
10:18
领他们走过了红海，引他们穿过了洪涛，
10:19
却淹没了他们的仇敌，又将他们从海底拋出；因此，义人反夺得了不虔敬者的战利品。
10:20
上主!他们遂称颂了你的圣名，同心赞美了你施展卫护的手臂；
10:21
因为，智慧开了哑巴的口，使婴儿的舌伶俐善言。
第十一章(27)
选民过旷野
11:1 智慧使他们的事业，在圣先知的手下进行顺利：
11:2
他们走过了无人烟的荒野，在无路的荒野，支搭了帐幕；
11:3
与敌军对峙，击退了敌人。
11:4
他们渴时，呼求了你，岩石就给他们流出了清泉，盘石解决了他们的口渴。
埃及人受罚
11:5 他们的敌人在什么事上受罚，他们就在那种困难中受到爱护。
11:6
【敌人缺少的，以色列人却常有不缺。】
11:7
为惩罚埃及人颁发杀害婴儿的命令，常流的江河，混入了鲜血污泥，
11:8
你却出乎众望，另赐给了以色列人丰富的水；
11:9
他们借着当时的口渴，可以明了你怎样惩罚了他们的仇人。
11:10
以色列人固然受了试探，但这只是出乎仁爱的惩戒，要他们明了不虔敬的人，在天主义怒的审判之下，怎样受了惩罚；
11:11
因为你考验以色列人，自来就像一个规劝的父亲；你审问埃及人，却像一位定罪的严厉君王。
11:12
以色列人不论在的时候，或远去的时候，埃及人都同样遭受痛苦。
11:13
他们因受双重的苦恼夹击，一回忆往事，便呻吟叹息；
11:14
因为当他们一听说自己的刑罚，反成了别人的利益，便知这是上主的作为。
11:15
埃及人以前所拋弃，所放逐，所讥笑的人，在事后反为他们惊奇不已，因为他们的口渴，究竟与义人不同。
11:16
他们因愚昧与邪恶的思想，走入了歧途，崇拜了无灵的爬虫和野兽，你就派遣了成群的无灵的动物，来惩罚他们，
11:17
叫他们知道，人用什么来犯罪，就用什么来罚他。
11:18
因为，你全能的手，既能从无定形的原质中，造出了世界，也不难为他们遣来许多狗熊或猛狮，
11:19
或新造而不知名的残暴猛兽，喷射火焰，放射毒气，两眼闪烁可怕的火星。
11:20
这些猛兽，不但能肆虐将他们消灭，即连他们的恐怖形状，也能把人吓死。
11:21
即使没有它们，因你一口气，埃及人也会死亡，因你正义的追击，他们必为你大能的气息所卷去；但你处置这一切，原有一定的尺度、数目和衡量。
天主罚人是要人悔悟
11:22 你随时可用你的大能，有谁能抵抗你有力的手臂﹖
11:23
整个世界，在你跟前，宛如天秤上的一粒尘沙，落在地面上的一滴朝露。
11:24
但是，你怜闵众生，因为你是无所不能的，你假装看不见人罪，是为叫罪人悔改。
11:25
的确，你爱一切所有，不恨你所造的；如果你憎恨什么，你必不会造它。
11:26
如果你不愿意，甚么东西能够存在﹖如果你不吩咐，甚么东西能够保全﹖
11:27
爱护众灵的主宰!只有你爱惜万物，因为都是你的。
第十二章(27)
12:1 你那不死不灭的生气在万物之内；
12:2
因此，你逐步地惩罚堕落的人，要他们想起所犯的罪恶，借以警告他们离弃恶事，相信你，上主。
客纳罕人的恶习
12:3 你憎恨你圣地里的古代居民，
12:4
因为他们操行巫术和邪恶的祭祀，作出了最可憎恶的事。
12:5
这些无情杀害婴儿的人，在这些拜神的歌舞筵会中，吞食人血肉的人，
12:6
这些杀害无能力自卫生灵的父母，你决意要借我们先祖的手，将他们消灭，
12:7
使你以为地上最宝贵的地方，成为天主子民相宜的侨居地。
天主也给他们忏悔的机会
12:8 但你也拿他们当人对待，先派土蜂作你军队的先锋，逐渐将他们消灭。
12:9
这并不是因为你不能用一场战争，使不虔敬者屈服于义人之下；或用凶猛的野兽，或用严厉的言语，一下将他们歼灭；
12:10
而是因你愿逐渐降罚，给他们一个悔改的机会；并不是你不知道他们的种族不良，生来邪恶，永不会改变心意；
12:11
因为他们从起初，就是被诅咒的后裔。你没有降罚他们的罪行，并非因为你怕谁。
12:12
谁敢对你说：你作了什么﹖谁能反抗你的判断﹖你消灭了你造的民族，谁敢控告你﹖又谁敢起来面对着你，为恶人作辩护﹖
12:13
因为，除你以外，别无照顾万物的神，你应向他指明你的审判，并非不公；
12:14
也没有一个君王或君主，敢为你惩罚的人，对你怒目而视。
天主待人恩威并用
12:15 你是公义的，你必按照公义处理一切；罚不应罚的，你必认为这与你的权威不合。
12:16
你的权力原是你公义的本源，因为你主宰一切，所以你必能谅解一切。
12:17
为此，如果有人不相信你具有绝对的权威，你就将你的权力显示出来；如果他们知道而仍胆大妄为，你就予以惩罚。
12:18
你虽掌有大权，但施行审判，却很温和，治理我们，极其宽忍，因为，权能乃属于你，只有你愿意，你就能行使。
12:19
你这样作，是为教训你的子民，义人必须怜爱众人；并使你的子女满怀希望，因为人在犯罪之后，你常赐予忏悔的机会。
12:20
你处罚你子女们应处死的敌人，还这样小心温和，给他们时间和机会改恶迁善，
12:21
你审判你的儿子时，岂不更谨慎﹖因为，你曾与他们的列祖起过誓，立过约，应许他们得福利。
12:22
你对我们只是惩戒，对我们的仇人却是千百倍的鞭笞：这是为使我们在审断时，应思念你的仁慈；在受审时，应期望你的哀怜。
顽固不化堪受重罚
12:23 因此，对那生活愚蠢，行为不义的人，你便用他们敬拜的丑恶之物来折磨他们。
12:24
他们实在深深地误入了歧途，竟认最丑怪，最下贱的禽兽为神，让自己受骗，竟如无知的孩童。
12:25
因此，你对待他们也像无知的孩童，给他们派来的刑罚，也只是戏弄。
12:26
但他们并未因此戏弄的责戒而悔改，所以他们要受相称于天主的重罚。
12:27
埃及人在禽兽的折磨中，有见他们所敬奉为神明的禽兽，成了自己受罚的工具，这才明了，并承认从前所否认的实是真天主；但他们仍不肯悔改，因此，最后的惩罚终于降在他们身上。
第十三章(19)
崇拜自然实在愚蠢
13:1 凡不认识天主的人，都是真正的愚人，因为，他们未能从看得见的美物，去发现那自有者；注意了工程，却不认识工程师；
13:2
反而认火、风、流动的空气、运转的星辰、洪流的巨涛、天上的光体，为统治世界的神。
13:3
如果有人因这些东西的美丽而着迷，奉之为神；那么，他们就应知道：这些美物的主宰更是美丽，因为，全是美丽的唯一根源所创造的。
13:4
如果有人惊奇这些东西的力量和效能，就应明白：创造这些东西的更有能力；
13:5
因为，从受造物的伟大和美丽，人可以推想到这些东西的创造者。
13:6
不过，这种人的罪尚较轻微，因为，他们寻找天主，也有意找到，却一时误入了迷途：
13:7
这或许是由于他们所见的世物实在美丽，因此在专务研究他的工程时，只追求外表；
13:8
但他们仍然不能推辞无过：
13:9
因为他们既然能知道的如此渊博，甚至能探究宇宙，为什么不能及早发现这些东西的主宰﹖
偶像的来历
13:10 有些人真是可怜!他们竟将希望寄于死东西上，竟称人的手工、金银和艺术的创作、动物的肖像、或古人雕刻的无用的石为神。
13:11
设想：有个木匠，锯来一棵适用的树木，精巧地剥净树皮，熟练地施展技巧，制成一件日常生活的用具；
13:12
以后用工作剩余的碎木，煮饭充饥；
13:13
后来由那些剩下一无所用的废木中，取出一块弯曲多疤的木头，在闲暇无事时，辛勤地加以雕刻，本着自己熟悉的手艺，按图样将它刻成一个人像，
13:14
或做成一个卑贱的兽像，涂上丹砂，将外皮漆成红色，遮住一切疤痕；
13:15
随后，为它做一个适宜的居所，把它嵌在墙上，用钉子钉住，
13:16
预先加以照顾，免得它掉下来，因为他知道：这件东西是不能自助的，不过只是偶像，需要人来扶助。
13:17
但是，他反不感羞耻地向这无灵之物祷告，祈赐财富、妻室和子嗣；
13:18
向这虚弱的东西，要求健康；向这死物，要求生命；向这无能的东西，要求援助；
13:19
向这有脚不能行的东西，要求旅行；向这有手而毫无动作的东西，要求发财、工作、事业成功的力量。
第十四章(31)
拜偶像的愚蠢
14:1 再如：有个准备航海的人，行将在怒涛中航行之际，竟向一块比自己乘的船还易坏的木头呼求。
14:2
船固然是因求财的贪心而发明的，亦是匠人以智慧造成的；
14:3
但最后，父啊!还是你的照顾在驾驶，因为原是你在海洋中划出了一条路线，在波浪中开辟了一条安全的路径，
14:4
表示你能救人脱离各种危险，连没有技术的人，也能航海。
14:5
你决不愿使你智慧的工作弃之不用，因此，人将生命托给一片小木，借一叶扁舟，经过巨涛而平安到达海岸。
14:6
其实，在当初，当那些傲慢的巨人被灭绝的时候，世界的希望逃入了一叶扁舟，经你手的驾驶，才得给后世留下了新生的苗裔。
14:7
木头如使用得当，是可祝福的；
14:8
但是，人手造的木偶和木偶的制造者，却是可诅咒的：制造者，因为他造了木偶；木偶，因为虽是腐败的东西，竟被称为神。
14:9
不虔敬的人，与他行的不虔敬的事，同样为天主所憎恶；
14:10
所以，木偶与造木偶的，都必遭受惩罚。
14:11
为此，天主必要惩罚列邦的偶像，因为偶像在天主的造物中，成了可憎之物，成了人们灵魂的障碍，作了愚人脚前的陷阱。
拜偶像的起源
14:12 发明偶像，是淫乱的开端；创造偶像，是人生的腐败。
14:13
起初原无偶像，也不能永久长存；
14:14
由于人的虚荣心，偶像才进入了世界；为此，已注定很快就要结束。
14:15
一个父亲因他儿子的夭折，甚为悲伤，遂为自己早死的儿子立像，他虽是已死的人，如今却敬之如神，并传令家属礼拜献祭。
14:16
这种不虔敬的事，相沿日久，便成了习俗，以致守如法律；再加上君王的命令，雕像遂受崇拜。
14:17
住在远方的人，不能当面尊敬国王，便由远方设想君王的相貌，为所要尊敬的君王，制造一座可见的肖像，向那不在跟前的，殷勤献媚，如同就在跟前一样。
14:18
艺术家的野心，把那些不认识君王的人，也都诱来，为扩大这项敬礼；
14:19
艺术家原为讨有权威者的欢心，就竭力运用自己的技术，使君王的肖像格外美丽；
14:20
民众受了这精美手工的吸引，不久以前那当人尊敬的，现在却奉之为神了。
14:21
这便成了人生的隐祸，因为遭受不幸，或受暴君压迫的人们，将「那不可道出的名字，」加给了木石。
拜偶像的后果
14:22 他们对天主的认识错到如此地步，还以为不足；甚至愚昧使他们生活在强烈的战斗中，还将这样的大祸，称为和平。
14:23
因他们祭杀孩童，或举行秘密祭礼，或仪式怪诞的狂欢宴会。
14:24
谁也不顾及生活与婚姻的纯洁，遂彼此陷害残杀，以奸淫加害于人。
14:25
于是，混乱到处丛生：流血、杀人、盗窃、欺骗、缺德、失信、暴乱、违约、
14:26
陷害忠良、忘恩负义、玷辱灵魂、同性淫乱、婚姻混杂、通奸淫乱。
14:27
崇拜虚无的偶像，实是万恶的起源、由来和结局。
14:28
这些人行乐发狂，预言虚妄，生活邪辟，妄发虚誓，
14:29
因为他们信赖无生命的偶像，自以为妄发虚誓，不会受罚。
14:30
但是，正为了这两件事，他们必受公义的处罚：因对天主没有正确的认识，因而崇拜偶像；又因诡计多端，妄发虚誓，因而轻视圣洁。
14:31
因为，那常追击不义者违法行为的，并不是「赖以发誓者」的力量，而是天主对犯罪者的惩罚。
第十五章(19)
真宗教的美善
15:1 至于你，我们的天主，你是良善的，忠实的，宽容的，以慈爱治理万有。
15:2
我们即使犯了罪，仍是你的，因为我们承认你的主权；我们既承认我们原属于你，我们就不再犯罪了。
15:3
实在，认识你就是完美的正义；承认你的主权，就是不死不灭的根源。
15:4
为此，人邪恶的创作，画家无益的作品，各式各色的画图，都没有使我们误入迷途；
15:5
不过，愚人一见这些画像，就大动情欲，贪恋这些无灵的死像。
15:6
凡制造、爱慕、恭敬偶像的，实是邪恶的情人，只堪将希望寄于无灵之物。
拜偶像的愚妄
15:7 有个陶人用力抟软泥，制成各种器皿，以供我们使用：但是，他可用同样的泥土，做成洁净事用的器皿，同样，也可做成为卑污事用的器皿；至于，每件作何用途，皆由陶人断定。
15:8
后来，他竟枉费心机，将同样的泥土，捏成一个虚无的神像。不想自己不久以前，原是由土造成的；不久以后，天主向他索还灵魂时，还要归于土。
15:9
他并不想死亡将至，生命短促，只图与金匠银匠竞争，仿效铜匠，以制造虚伪之物为荣。
15:10
他的心已如死灰，他的希望比尘埃还卑微，他的生命比泥土更卑贱。
15:11
因为，他竟不知是谁创造了他，是谁赋给了他一个行动的灵魂，是谁向他吹了生命的气息。
15:12
他反将我们的生命视为儿戏，将此生看作惟利是图的市场，说：「人必须用各样的方法，甚至利用不义的手段，获得利润。」
15:13
凡用泥料制造易破的器皿和偶像的，应比其它一切人更清楚知道自己犯了罪。
埃及人更为愚顽
15:14 但是，最愚蠢，比婴儿还可怜的，还是那些仇视并虐待你百姓的人。
15:15
他们将异邦人所有的偶像都看作神明；这些神明有眼不能看，有鼻不能喘气，有耳不能听，有手不能摸，有脚不能行，
15:16
因为都是人的作品，是那由天主借得气息的人所捏造的，实在没有一人能造出一个与自己相似的神；
15:17
有死的人，只能用邪恶的手造出死像；他本人原胜过他所崇拜的东西，因为他尚有生命，这些东西却从来没有。
15:18
此外，他们竟然还敬拜那些最可憎恶的动物，因为，这些动物与其它动物相比，更为愚笨。
15:19
再就其为动物而言，也并不美丽，或值得人爱，只是些不得天主赞赏和祝福的东西。
第十六章(29)
鹌鹑与害虫
16:1 因此，天主用同样的动物来惩罚他们，使他们受许多动物的残害，很为适当。
16:2
正与此惩罚相反,你却恩待了你的百姓,为满足他们的食欲，给他们预备了珍奇的美味──鹌鹑，当作食物。
16:3
那些想进食的埃及人，一看见上主遣来的丑陋的动物，连原有的食欲都失去了；至于你的百姓，虽遭受了片时的饥饿，却分享了奇异的美味。
16:4
因为，埃及人残忍无道，理应遭受难挨的饥饿；至于你的百姓受饿，只是为叫他们明白，他们的仇敌受了如何的痛苦。
铜蛇与蝗灾
16:5 以色列人固然也受到了猛兽的残害，和毒蛇的咬伤；
16:6
但你的愤怒并没有坚持到底，只不过是为警戒他们，使他们暂时惊惶，获得救援的标记，好想起你的法令；
16:7
凡转向这标记的，并不是因着所瞻望的记号得救，而是因着你，万民的救主。
16:8
借此，你向我们的仇敌证明：是你救人脱免一切灾祸；
16:9
因为蝗虫和苍蝇咬死了他们，却没有医治他们生命的方法，因为他们理应遭受这样的刑罚。
16:10
但是你的子民，却没有为毒蛇的牙所制胜；这是因为你的仁慈前来救助，治好了他们。
16:11
他们被咬后，即刻获治，是要他们记念你的话，免得他们深深遗忘，而不注意你的仁慈。
16:12
医好他们的，并不是草药，也不是膏药，上主，而是你那治好一切的话。
16:13
因为，是你掌握生死的大权，引人下入阴府的门，而又领回。
16:14
人固然可以因邪恶而杀人，却不能使已离去的神魂再回来，也不能解救一个被囚在阴府中的灵魂。
玛纳与冰雹
16:15 逃出你的掌握，那是不可能的。
16:16
为此，那不肯承认你的败类，遭受了你大力手臂的打击，受那罕有的大雨、冰雹与无情暴雨的袭击，并为火所毁灭。
16:17
最堪惊奇的，是在能熄灭一切的水中，火焰反而更为炽烈，因为世界都为义人而战：
16:18
有时火势缓和，免得烧掉那些为对付不虔敬的人所派来的野兽，令他们见了，自知难逃天主正义的追击；
16:19
有时火在水中反烧得异常炽烈，为烧尽毁灭不义之田的出产。
16:20
相反地，你用天神之粮，养育了你的子民；他们不必操劳，你从天上给他们降下了现成的食粮，具有各种美味，适合各人的口味。
16:21
你赐予的食粮，合乎取食者的嗜好，随着人的愿望而变化，这表明你对待儿女如何恩爱。
16:22
雪和冰遇着火并不融化，这是使他们知道：为毁灭仇敌的收获，火曾在冰雹中炽燃，在雨水中闪烁；
16:23
但为养育义人，火却忘记了自己的本能。
16:24
实在，受造物都服从你，自己的造主，致力惩罚不义的人，恩待信赖你的人。
16:25
因此，「玛纳」就依照你那养育众人的恩宠，起种种变化，来适应需求者的愿望，
16:26
为使你所爱的子女们知道：上主，养育世人的，不是各种果食，而是你的言语，保全了信赖你的人。
16:27
因为，火所不能烧毁的，因着温和的一线阳光，立即融化，
16:28
使人知道：在太阳没有升起以前，就应赞颂你；在曙光破晓时分，就该祈求你；
16:29
因为，不知恩者的希望，就如冬天的霜，势必消溶，逝去有如无用的流水。
第十七章(20)
黑暗与光明
17:1 上主，你的裁判的确高深难明，因此，不愿受教的灵魂走入了迷途。
17:2
不法的人自以为能压服圣民，反而被黑暗所束缚，为长夜所桎梏，囚禁在斗室中，被弃于永远照顾之外。
17:3
他们原想在人不留意的黑幕下，可以掩藏隐密的罪恶，自己反为黑暗所侵袭，大起恐慌为鬼怪所惊扰，
17:4
以致连掩护他们的内室，也不能保护他们不受惊惶，使人恐怖的声音环绕在他们四周，哭丧着脸的忧戚怪物，出现在他们面前。
17:5
火没有一点能力供给他们光亮，星辰的光辉，也无法照明这可怕的黑夜，
17:6
只有忽然自动燃起的极为可怕的火炬，显示给他们，吓得他们不知所措；在幻像不见之后，他们幻想之所见，比所见的实物更为可怕。
17:7
他们的邪术尽失效力，他们夸耀的学识，全蒙耻受辱：
17:8
他们曾应许，为患精神病者驱除恐惧与慌乱，自己却患了可笑的胆怯病；
17:9
即使没有可怕的事来恐吓，连走兽经过，或毒蛇嗤嗤一声，他们也大为惊慌，吓得魂不附体，以致连这无可逃避的空气也不愿再看。
17:10
邪恶的心本来就胆怯，自证自己有罪，受着天良的催迫，时常向坏处着想。
17:11
恐惧不是别的，只是将理性的助力，弃而不用；
17:12
人对内心的依赖越薄弱，越难明了遇难的原因。
17:13
在那来自毫无生力的阴府深处，使人无法工作的黑夜里，仍照样去睡觉的人，
17:14
有的因魑魅的怪状而惊惶，有的因心志绝望而沮丧，因为，突然而意外的惊惧，忽临到他们身上。
17:15
因此，不拘谁倒在那里，就在那里被囚，幽禁在没有铁闩的囹圄中；
17:16
不论他是农夫，或是牧人，或是在偏僻乡野操作的工人，都得骤然忍受这不可逃避的厄运，因为人人都被一条黑暗的锁链束缚住了；
17:17
不论是呼啸的风声，或是密枝间鸟雀的吱喳叫声，或是溪水的急流声，
17:18
或是岩石崩裂的强烈响声，或是走兽隐约的跳跃声，或是猛兽的吼叫声，或是山谷间的响彻回声，都能使他们胆战心惊。
17:19
其时，整个世界正为辉煌的光明所照耀，进行工作毫无阻碍；
17:20
沉重的黑暗，只笼罩着他们，这是未来要接收他们的黑暗的预像；其实，他们为他们自己，比黑暗还更为沉重。
第十八章(25)
奇光照耀选民
18:1 至于你的圣徒，却有极大的光明。埃及人只听见他们的声音，却看不见他们的面容，遂宣称那没有遭受痛苦的为有福，
18:2
对他们表示感激，因他们虽受虐待，却不图报复，求他们宽恕以往的敌对行为。
18:3
正与黑暗相反，你赐给了圣徒火柱，在他们不熟识的路上作响导，在光荣的旅途中作不为害的太阳。
18:4
埃及人理当失掉光明，遭受黑暗的拘禁，因为他们曾拘留过你的子民；正是这些子民想将法律不灭的光明传到普世。
生与死
18:5 他们决意要杀尽圣徒的婴儿时．有一个被弃的婴儿竟然得救；为惩罚他们，你夺去了他们许多婴儿，又将他们一齐淹没在大水之中。
18:6
我们的祖先预先得知了那一夜的事，甚而确实知道自己所相信的誓言多么可靠，因此都心安神乐。
18:7
所以，你的子民所期待的，就是义人的救援，和仇人的灭亡。
18:8
你用什么方法惩罚了仇敌，也用什么方法光荣了我们，为召叫我们归向你。
18:9
善人的圣洁子孙，都在暗中献了祭，同心立定了神圣的盟约，为使圣徒们同甘共苦，同唱了列祖的赞美歌曲。
18:10
敌人混乱的喊声，从对面响起，到处发出哀悼孩儿的悲鸣。
18:11
主人与仆人，同受一样的惩罚；庶民与王公，共遭一样的苦难。
18:12
他们一时都遇到同样的死亡，死了无数的人；以致活人的数目不足以埋葬死人，因为，他们最宝贵的后裔，倾刻之间，都已灭亡。
18:13
那些操行邪术，什么也不相信的人，因着长子的丧亡，才承认这民族是天主的儿子。
18:14
万籁俱寂，黑夜已奔驰一半路程时，
18:15
你全能的圣言，由天上的王座，如无情的战士，降到这应毁灭的地上，
18:16
带着你不可收回的成命当作利剑，上触高天，下踏大地，立在那里，使各处充满死亡。
18:17
立时可怕的梦境扰乱他们，想不到的恐惧，临到他们身上，
18:18
都半死半活的一个倒在这里，一个跌在那里，宣布他们死亡的原因；
18:19
因为那些惊吓他们的恶梦，已预先通知了他们，免得他们死了，还不知道自己究竟为什么遭了难。
18:20
义人也尝试过死亡的折磨，有许多人，在荒野里，也遭受过灾殃；但天主的怒气并没有持久，
18:21
因为无可指摘的人，迅速出头，代为庇护，以自己的职责作盾牌，用祈祷和赎罪的馨香，阻止了天主的愤怒，使灾难停止，显示出他是你的仆人。
18:22
他平息了灾祸，并不是由于体力，或武器的威能，而是提起上主与祖先所发的誓，所立的约，以言语说服了刑罚人的上主。
18:23
那时，死人枕借成堆，他站在当中，拦阻了怒气，中断了死亡向活人延及的路线。
18:24
因为，在他的长衣上，带有整个的世界：在四行宝石上，刻着祖先的荣耀；在他头戴的冠冕上，嵌有你的尊威。
18:25
施行毁灭者，对这些礼服表示让步，表示敬畏；只一试怒就够了。
第十九章(22)
步过红海
19:1 但是，毫无怜悯的忿怒，必降在不虔敬的人身上，直到发泄完毕，因为天主预先知道他们将作的事：
19:2
在允许以色列离开，催促他们快快上路之后，又必改变心意前去追赶。
19:3
实在，埃及人还在哀悼，还在死者坟上悲伤的时候，又定了另一个愚蠢的主意：要追赶自己以前要求离去的人，有如逃亡的人。
19:4
应得的报应，使他们胡涂到这种地步，竟然忘记了已经遭遇的事，使自己备受以前未曾受到的刑罚，
19:5
即当你的子民走过奇异的道路时，他们遭遇了骇人听闻的死亡。
19:6
因此那时，各样的受造物，按自己的本性，再重新受造，遵从你的命令，护卫你的子女，不受伤害。
19:7
于是有云彩遮蔽营幕，先前有水的地方，露出旱地，红海里开出一条无阻的道路，巨涛中出现了一片青草地，
19:8
你的全体百姓，在你亲手掩护之下，由那里经过，看到了神奇的异迹。
19:9
他们有如牧场上牧放的小马，跳跃有如羔羊，赞美你，拯救他们的上主。
19:10
因为，他们还记得自己侨居在异地时发生的事：代替畜牲，地上怎样产生了蚊子；代替鱼，河里怎样生出了成群的蛤蟆。
19:11
以后，他们大动食欲，要求精美的食物时，又见到了新奇出生的飞鸟：
19:12
为使他们满足，从海上飞来了鹌鹑。
埃及的罪过胜于索多玛
19:13 至于对罪人，却降下了刑罚，事先原已用猛烈的雷电警告过他们；他们因自己的邪恶而遭受痛苦，实是理所当然的，因为埃及人分外苛刻地憎恨了旅客。
19:14
索多玛人，只不过不接待初到的陌生客人，而埃及人却将施惠的宾客充作奴隶。
19:15
不仅如此，而且对索多玛人还可予以宽恕，因为他们只不过对外人表示敌意；
19:16
可是埃及人曾举行宴会，接待了你的人民，在他们久已获享同等的权利之后，却又用苦役来磨难他们。
19:17
为此，埃及人也如在义人门前的索多玛人一样，受了眼瞎的惩罚，一时被浓厚的黑暗包围，各自找寻自己的门路。
赞颂保佑选民的天主
19:18 各种元素的本质互相调换，就如琴瑟的五声，互相交换，而总不改变原音；这从观察过去的事上，明明可以见到。
19:19
陆地上的动物变成了水里的；游泳的动物却在旱地上游行；
19:20
火在水中更加强了自己的能力，水也忘了自己灭火的本能。
19:21
火焰不烧毁那行走在火里，本容易毁灭的走兽的肉体，也不溶化那本如冰块，易于溶化的天粮。
19:22
的确，上主，你用各种方法显扬光荣了你的子民，从不忽略随时随地加以保护。
BOOK ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.
JB WISDOM Chapter 1
I. WISDOM AND MAN'S
DESTINY
On seeking God and
rejecting evil
1:1 Love virtue, you who are
judges on earth,[*a] let honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord, seek him
in simplicity of heart;
1:2 since he is to be found by
those who do not put him to the test, he shows himself to those who do not
distrust him.
1:3 But selfish intentions
divorce from God; and Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish.
1:4 No, Wisdom will never make
its way into a crafty soul nor stay in a body that is in debt to sin;
1:5 the holy spirit of instruction
shuns deceit, it stands aloof from reckless purposes, is taken aback when
iniquity appears.
1:6 Wisdom is a spirit, a
friend to man, though she will not pardon the words of a blasphemer, since God
sees into the innermost parts of him, truly observes his heart, and listens to
his tongue.
1:7 The spirit of the Lord,
indeed, fills the whole world, and that which holds all things together knows
every word that is said.
1:8 The man who gives voice to
injustice will never go unnoticed, nor shall avenging Justice pass him by.
1:9 For the godless man's
deliberations will be examined, and a report of his words will reach the Lord
to convict him of his crimes.
1:10 There is a jealous ear
that overhears everything, not so much as a murmur of complaint escapes it.
1:11 Beware, then, of
complaining about nothing, and keep your tongue from finding fault; since the
most secret word will have repercussions, and a lying mouth deals death to the
soul.
1:12 Do not court death by the
errors of your ways, nor invite destruction through your own actions.
1:13 Death was not God's
doing, he takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living.
1:14 To be - for this he
created all; the world's created things have health in them, in them no fatal
poison can be found, and Hades[*b] holds no power on earth;
1:15 for virtue is undying.
Life as the godless
see it
1:16 But the godless call with
deed and word for Death, counting him friend, they wear themselves out for him,
with him they make a pact, and are fit to be his partners.
JB WISDOM Chapter 2
2:1 For they say to
themselves, with their misguided reasoning: 'Our life is short and dreary, nor
is there any relief when man's end comes, nor is anyone known who can give
release from Hades.
2:2 By chance we came to
birth, and after this life we shall be as if we had never been. The breath in
our nostrils is a puff of smoke, reason a spark from the beating of our hearts;
2:3 put this out and our body
turns to ashes, and the spirit melts away like idle air.
2:4 In time, our name will be
forgotten, nobody will remember what we have done; our life will pass away like
wisps of cloud, dissolve like the mist that the sun's rays drive away and the
heat of it overwhelms.
2:5 Yes, our days are the
passing of a shadow, from our death there is no turning back, the seal is set:
no one returns.
2:6 'Come then, let us enjoy
what good things there are, use this creation with the zest of youth:
2:7 take our fill of the
dearest wines and perfumes, let not one flower of springtime pass us by,
2:8 before they wither crown
ourselves with roses.
2:9 Let none of us forgo his
part in our orgy, let us leave the signs of our revelry everywhere, this is our
portion, this the lot assigned us.
2:10 'As for the virtuous man
who is poor, let us oppress him; let us not spare the widow, nor respect old
age, white-haired with many years.
2:11 Let our strength be the
yardstick of virtue, since weakness argues its own futility.
2:12 Let us lie in wait for
the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us
for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
2:13 He claims to have
knowledge of God, and calls himself a son of the Lord.
2:14 Before us he stands, a
reproof to our way of thinking, the very sight of him weighs our spirits down;
2:15 his way of life is not
like other men's, the paths he treads are unfamiliar.
2:16 In his opinion we are
counterfeit; he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth; he proclaims
the final end of the virtuous as happy and boasts of having God for his father.
2:17 Let us see if what he
says is true, let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.
2:18 If the virtuous man is
God's son, God will take his part and rescue him from the clutches of his
enemies.
2:19 Let us test him with
cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his
endurance to the proof.
2:20 Let us condemn him to a
shameful death since he will be looked after - we have his word for it.'
The godless gravely
mistaken
2:21 This is the way they
reason, but they are misled, their malice makes them blind.
2:22 They do not know the
hidden things of God, they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded, they
can see no reward for blameless souls.
2:23 Yet God did make man
imperishable, he made him in the image of his own nature;
2:24 it was the devil's envy
that brought death into the world, as those who are his partners will discover.
JB WISDOM Chapter 3
The destinies of
good and bad men compared
3:1 But the souls of the
virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them.
3:2 In the eyes of the unwise,
they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster,
3:3 their leaving us, like
annihilation; but they are in peace.
3:4 If they experienced
punishment as men see it, their hope was rich with immortality;
3:5 slight was their
affliction, great will their blessings be. God has put them to the test and
proved them worthy to be with him;
3:6 he has tested them like
gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a holocaust.
3:7 When the time comes for
his visitation they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will
they.
3:8 They shall judge nations,
rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king for ever.
3:9 They who trust in him will
understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love; for
grace and mercy await those he has chosen.
3:10 But the godless will be
duly punished for their reasoning, for neglecting the virtuous man and
deserting the Lord.
3:11 Yes, wretched are they
who scorn wisdom and discipline:[*a] their hope is void, their toil unavailing,
their achievements unprofitable;
3:12 their wives are reckless,
their children depraved, their descendants accursed.
Better be barren
than have godless children
3:13 Blessed the barren
woman[*b] if she be blameless, she who has known no guilty bed; her
fruitfulness will be seen at the scrutiny of souls.
3:14 Blessed, too, the
eunuch[*c] whose hand has committed no crime, who has contemplated no wrong
against the Lord; for his loyalty special favour will be granted him, a most
desirable portion in the temple of the Lord.
3:15 For the fruit of honest
labours is glorious, and the root of understanding does not decay.
3:16 But children of
adulterers,[*d] these shall have no future, the offspring of an unlawful bed
must vanish.
3:17 Even if they live long,
they will count for nothing, their old age will go unhonoured at the last;
3:18 while if they die early,
they have neither hope nor comfort on the day of doom.
3:19 Yes, harsh is the fate of
a race of evil-doers.
JB WISDOM Chapter 4
4:1 Better to have no children
yet to have virtue, since immortality perpetuates its memory and God and men
both think highly of it.
4:2 Present, we imitate it,
absent, we long for it; crowned, it holds triumph through eternity, having
striven for blameless prizes and emerged the victor.
4:3 But the swarming brood of
the godless shall bring no advantage; offspring of bastard stock, it will never
strike deep roots, never put down firm foundations.
4:4 Branch out for a time they
may; but, frailly rooted, they will sway in the wind, be torn up by the
violence of the storm;
4:5 hardly grown, their
branches will be snapped off, their fruit be useless, too unripe to eat, fit
for nothing.
4:6 For children begotten of
unlawful intercourse witness, when God judges them, to the wrong their parents
did.
The premature death
of the virtuous man
4:7 The virtuous man, though
he die before his time, will find rest.
4:8 Length of days is not what
makes age honourable, nor number of years the true measure of life;
4:9 understanding, this is
man's grey hairs, untarnished life, this is ripe old age.
4:10 He has sought to please
God, so God has loved him; as he was living among sinners, he has been taken
up.
4:11 He has been carried off
so that evil may not warp his understanding or treachery seduce his soul;
4:12 for the fascination of
evil throws good things into the shade, and the whirlwind of desire corrupts a
simple heart.
4:13 Coming to perfection in
so short a while, he achieved long life;
4:14 his soul being pleasing
to the Lord, he has taken him quickly from the wickedness around him. Yet
people look on, uncomprehending; it does not enter their heads
4:15 that grace and mercy
await the chosen of the Lord, and protection, his holy ones.
4:16 The virtuous man who dies
condemns the godless who survive, and youth's untimely end the protracted age
of the wicked.
4:17 These people see the wise
man's ending without understanding what the Lord has in store for him or why he
has taken him to safety;
4:18 they look on and sneer,
but the Lord will laugh at them.
4:19 Soon they will be corpses
without honour, objects of scorn among the dead for ever. The Lord will dash
them down headlong, dumb. He will tear them from their foundations, they will
be utterly laid waste, anguish will be theirs, and their memory shall perish.
Virtuous men and
godless at the judgement
4:20 They will come trembling
to the reckoning of their sins, and their crimes, confronting them, will accuse
them.
JB WISDOM Chapter 5
5:1 Then the virtuous man
stands up boldly to face those who have oppressed him, those who thought so
little of his sufferings.
5:2 And they, at the sight of
him, will shake with cowards' fear, amazed he should be saved so unexpectedly.
5:3 Stricken with remorse,
each will say to the other, say with a groan and in distress of spirit:
5:4 'This is the man we used
to laugh at once, a butt for our sarcasm, fools that we were! His life we
regarded as madness, his ending as without honour.
5:5 How has he come to be
counted as one of the sons of God? How does he come to be assigned a place
among the saints?
5:6 Clearly we have strayed
from the way of truth; the light of justice has not shone for us, the sun never
rose on us.
5:7 We have left no path of
lawlessness or ruin unexplored, we have crossed deserts where there was no
track, but the way of the Lord is one we have never known.
5:8 Arrogance, what advantage
has this brought us? Wealth and boasting, what have these conferred on us?
5:9 All those things have
passed like a shadow, passed like a fleeting rumour.
5:10 Like a ship that cuts
through heaving waves - leaving no trace to show where it has passed, no wake
from its keel in the waves.
5:11 Or like a bird flying
through the air - leaving no proof of its passing; it whips the light air with
the stroke of its pinions, tears it apart in its whirring rush, drives its way
onward with sweeping wing, and afterwards no sign is seen of its passage.
5:12 Or like an arrow shot at
a mark, the pierced air closing so quickly on itself, there is no knowing which
way the arrow has passed.
5:13 So with us: scarcely
born, we have ceased to be; of virtue not a trace have we to show, we have
spent ourselves on wickedness instead.'
5:14 Yes, the hope of the
godless is like chaff carried on the wind, like fine spray driven by the gale;
it disperses like smoke before the wind, goes like the memory of a one-day
guest.
5:15 But the virtuous live for
ever, their recompense lies with the Lord, the Most High takes care of them.
5:16 So they shall receive the
royal crown of splendour, the diadem of beauty from the hand of the Lord; for
he will shelter them with his right hand and shield them with his arm.
5:17 For armour he will take
his jealous love, he will arm creation to punish his enemies;
5:18 he will put on justice as
a breastplate, and for helmet wear his undissembling judgement;
5:19 he will take up
invincible holiness for shield,
5:20 he will forge a biting
sword of his stern wrath, and the universe will march with him to fight the
reckless.
5:21 Bolts truly aimed, the
shafts of lightning will leap, and from the clouds, as from a full-drawn bow,
fly to their mark;
5:22 and the catapult will
hurl hailstones charged with fury. The waters of the sea will rage against
them, the rivers engulf them without pity.
5:23 The breath of Omnipotence
will blow against them and winnow them like a hurricane. So lawlessness will
bring the whole earth to ruin and evil-doing bring the thrones of the mighty
down.
JB WISDOM Chapter 6
II. THE ORIGIN,
NATURE AND EFFECTS OF WISDOM
HOW IT IS TO BE HAD
The duty of kings
to cultivate wisdom
6:1 [*a]Listen then, kings,
and understand; rulers of remotest lands, take warning;
6:2 hear this, you who have
thousands under your rule, who boast of your hordes of subjects.
6:3 For power is a gift to you
from the Lord, sovereignty is from the Most High; he himself will probe your
acts and scrutinise your intentions.
6:4 If, as administrators of
his kingdom, you have not governed justly nor observed the law, nor behaved as
God would have you behave,
6:5 he will fall on you
swiftly and terribly. Ruthless judgement is reserved for the high and mighty;
6:6 the lowly will be
compassionately pardoned, the mighty will be mightily punished.
6:7 For the Lord of All does
not cower before a personage, he does not stand in awe of greatness, since he
himself has made small and great and provides for all alike;
6:8 but strict scrutiny awaits
those in power.
6:9 Yes, despots, my words are
for you, that you may learn what wisdom is and not transgress;
6:10 for they who observe holy
things holily will be adjudged holy, and, accepting instruction from them, will
find their defence in them.
6:11 Look forward, therefore,
to my words; yearn for them, and they will instruct you.
Wisdom sought is
Wisdom found
6:12 Wisdom is bright, and
does not grow dim. By those who love her she is readily seen, and found by
those who look for her.
6:13 Quick to anticipate those
who desire her, she makes herself known to them.
6:14 Watch for her early and
you will have no trouble; you will find her sitting at your gates.
6:15 Even to think about her
is understanding fully grown; be on the alert for her and anxiety will quickly
leave you.
6:16 She herself walks about
looking for those who are worthy of her and graciously shows herself to them as
they go, in every thought of theirs coming to meet them.
6:17 Of her the most sure
beginning is the desire for discipline, care for discipline means loving her,
6:18 loving her means keeping
her laws, obeying her laws guarantees incorruptibility,
6:19 incorruptibility brings
near to God;
6:20 thus desire for Wisdom
leads to sovereignty.
6:21 If then, despots of
nations, you delight in throne and sceptre, honour Wisdom, thus to reign for
ever.
Solomon sets out to
describe Wisdom
6:22 What Wisdom is and how
she came to be, I will now declare, I will hide none of the secrets from you; I
will trace her right from the beginning and set out knowledge of her, plainly,
not swerving from the truth.
6:23 Neither will I take
blighting Envy as my travelling companion, for she has nothing in common with
Wisdom.
6:24 In the greatest number of
wise men lies the world's salvation, in a sagacious king the stability of a people.
6:25 Learn, therefore, from my
words; the gain will be yours.
JB WISDOM Chapter 7
Solomon a man like
other men
7:1 Like all the others, I too
am a mortal man, descendant of the first being fashioned from the earth, I was
modelled in flesh within my mother's womb,
7:2 for ten months[*a] taking
shape in her blood by means of virile seed and pleasure, sleep's companion.
7:3 I too, when I was born,
drew in the common air, I fell on the same ground that bears us all, a wail my
first sound, as for all the rest.
7:4 I was nurtured in
swaddling clothes, with every care.
7:5 No king has known any
other beginning of existence;
7:6 for all there is one way
only into life, as out of it.
Solomon's respect
for Wisdom
7:7 And so I prayed, and
understanding was given me; I entreated, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.
7:8 I esteemed her more than
sceptres and thrones; compared with her, I held riches as nothing.
7:9 I reckoned no priceless
stone to be her peer, for compared with her, all gold is a pinch of sand, and
beside her silver ranks as mud.
7:10 I loved her more than
health or beauty, preferred her to the light, since her radiance never sleeps.
7:11 In her company all good
things came to me, at her hands riches not to be numbered.
7:12 All these I delighted in,
since Wisdom brings them, but as yet I did not know she was their mother.
7:13 What I learned without
self-interest, I pass on without reserve; I do not intend to hide her riches.
7:14 For she is an
inexhaustible treasure to men, and those who acquire it win God's friendship,
commended as they are to him by the benefits of her teaching.
The appeal to
divine inspiration
7:15 May God grant me to speak
as he would wish and express thoughts worthy of his gifts, since he himself is
the guide of Wisdom, since he directs the sages.
7:16 We are indeed in his
hand, we ourselves and our words, with all our understanding, too, and
technical knowledge.
7:17 It was he who gave me
true knowledge of all that is,[*b] who taught me the structure of the world and
the properties of the elements,
7:18 the beginning, end and
middle of the times, the alternation of the solstices and the succession of the
seasons,
7:19 the revolution of the
year and the positions of the stars,
7:20 the natures of animals
and the instincts of wild beasts, the powers of spirits and the mental
processes of men, the varieties of plants and the medical properties of roots.
7:21 All that is hidden, all
that is plain, I have come to know, instructed by Wisdom who designed them all.
In praise of Wisdom
7:22 For within her is a
spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, active, incisive,
unsullied, lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, sharp,
7:23 irresistible, beneficent,
loving to man, steadfast, dependable, unperturbed, almighty, all-surveying,
penetrating all intelligent, pure and most subtle spirits;
7:24 for Wisdom is quicker to
move than any motion; she is so pure, she pervades and permeates all things.
7:25 She is a breath of the
power of God, pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; hence nothing impure
can find a way into her.
7:26 She is a reflection of
the eternal light, untarnished mirror of God's active power, image of his
goodness.
7:27 Although alone, she can
do all; herself unchanging, she makes all things new. In each generation she
passes into holy souls, she makes them friends of God and prophets;
7:28 for God loves only the
man who lives with Wisdom.
7:29 She is indeed more
splendid than the sun, she outshines all the constellations; compared with
light, she takes first place,
7:30 for light must yield to
night, but over Wisdom evil can never triumph.
JB WISDOM Chapter 8
8:1 She deploys her strength
from one end of the earth to the other, ordering all things for good.
From Wisdom comes
all that is desirable
8:2 She it was I loved and
searched for from my youth; I resolved to have her as my bride, I fell in love
with her beauty.
8:3 Her closeness to God lends
lustre to her noble birth, since the Lord of All has loved her.
8:4 Yes, she is an initiate in
the mysteries of God's knowledge, making choice of the works he is to do.
8:5 If in this life wealth be
a desirable possession, what is more wealthy than Wisdom whose work is
everywhere?
8:6 Or if it be the intellect
that is at work, where is there a greater than Wisdom, designer of all?
8:7 Or if it be virtue you
love, why, virtues are the fruit of her labours, since it is she who teaches
temperance and prudence, justice and fortitude; nothing in life is more
serviceable to men than these.
8:8 Or if you are eager for
wide experience, she knows the past, she forecasts the future; she knows how to
turn maxims, and solve riddles; she has foreknowledge of signs and wonders, of
the unfolding of the ages and the times.
Wisdom
indispensable to rulers
8:9 I therefore determined to
take her to share my life, knowing she would be my counsellor in prosperity, my
comfort in cares and sorrow.
8:10 Through her, I thought, I
shall be acclaimed where people gather and honoured, while still a youth, among
the elders.
8:11 I shall be reckoned
shrewd when I sit in judgement, in presence of the great I shall be admired.
8:12 They will wait on my
silences, and pay attention when I speak; if I speak at some length, they will
lay their hand on their lips.
8:13 By means of her,
immortality shall be mine, I shall leave an everlasting memory to my
successors.
8:14 I shall govern peoples
and nations will be subject to me;
8:15 at the sound of my name
fearsome despots will be afraid; I shall show myself kind to my people and
valiant in battle.
8:16 When I go home I shall
take my ease with her, for nothing is bitter in her company, when life is
shared with her there is no pain, gladness only, and joy.
Solomon prepares to
ask for Wisdom
8:17 Inwardly revolving these
thoughts, and considering in my heart that immortality is found in being kin to
Wisdom
8:18 pure contentment in her
friendship, inexhaustible riches in what she does, intelligence in the
cultivation of her society, and renown in the fellowship of her conversation, I
went in all directions seeking by what means I might make her mine.
8:19 I was a boy of happy
disposition, I had received a good soul as my lot,
8:20 or rather, being good, I
had entered an undefiled body; but knowing I could not master Wisdom but by the
gift of God - a mark itself of understanding, to know whose the bounty was - I
turned to the Lord and entreated him, with all my heart I said:
JB WISDOM Chapter 9
A prayer for Wisdom
9:1 'God of our ancestors,
Lord of mercy, who by your word have made all things,
9:2 and in your wisdom have
fitted man to rule the creatures that have come from you,
9:3 to govern the world in
holiness and justice and in honesty of soul to wield authority,
9:4 grant me Wisdom, consort
of your throne, and do not reject me from the number of your children.
9:5 'For I am your servant,
son of your serving maid, a feeble man, with little time to live, with small
understanding of justice and the laws.
9:6 Indeed, were anyone
perfect among the sons of men, if he lacked the Wisdom that comes from you, he
would still count for nothing.
9:7 You yourself have chosen
me[*a] to be king over your people, to be judge of your sons and daughters.
9:8 You have bidden me build a
temple on your holy mountain, an altar in the city where you have pitched your
tent, a copy of that sacred tabernacle which you prepared from the beginning.
9:9 With you is Wisdom, she
who knows your works, she who was present when you made the world; she
understands what is pleasing in your eyes and what agrees with your
commandments.
9:10 Despatch her from the
holy heavens, send her forth from your throne of glory to help me and to toil
with me and teach me what is pleasing to you,
9:11 since she knows and
understands everything. She will guide me prudently in my undertakings and
protect me by her glory.
9:12 Then all I do will be
acceptable, I shall govern your people justly and shall be worthy of my
father's[*b] throne.
9:13 'What man indeed can know
the intentions of God? Who can divine the will of the Lord?
9:14 The reasonings of mortals
are unsure and our intentions unstable;
9:15 for a perishable body
presses down the soul, and this tent of clay weighs down the teeming mind.
9:16 It is hard enough for us
to work out what is on earth, laborious to know what lies within our reach;
who, then, can discover what is in the heavens?
9:17 As for your intention,
who could have learnt it, had you not granted Wisdom and sent your holy spirit
from above?
9:18 Thus have the paths of
those on earth been straightened and men been taught what pleases you, and
saved, by Wisdom.'
JB WISDOM Chapter 10
III. WISDOM AND GOD
IN HISTORY
From Adam to Moses
10:1 The father of the world,
the first being to be fashioned, created alone, he had her for his protector
and she delivered him from his fault;[*a]
10:2 she gave him the strength
to subjugate all things.
10:3 But when a sinner[*b] in
his wrath deserted her, he perished in his fratricidal fury.
10:4 When because of him the
earth was drowned, it was Wisdom again who saved it, piloting the virtuous
man[*c] on a paltry piece of wood.
10:5 Again, when, concurring
in wickedness, the nations had been thrown into confusion, it was she who
singled out the virtuous man,[*d] preserved him blameless before God and
fortified him against pity for his child.
10:6 It was she who, while the
godless perished, saved the virtuous man,[*e] as he fled from the fire raining
down on the Five Cities,
10:7 in witness against whose evil
ways a desolate land still smokes, where shrubs bear fruit that never ripens
and where, monument to an unbelieving soul, there stands a pillar of salt.
10:8 For, by neglecting the
path of Wisdom, not only were they kept from knowledge of the good, they
actually left the world a memorial of their folly, so that their crimes might
not escape notice.
10:9 But Wisdom delivered her
servants from their ordeals.
10:10 The virtuous man,[*f]
fleeing from the anger of his brother, was led by her along straight paths. She
showed him the kingdom of God and taught him the knowledge of holy things. She
brought him success in his toil and gave him full return for all his efforts;
10:11 she stood by him against
grasping and oppressive men and she made him rich.
10:12 She guarded him closely
from his enemies and saved him from the traps they set for him. In an arduous
struggle she awarded him the prize, to teach him that piety is stronger than
all.
10:13 She did not forsake the
virtuous man when he was sold,[*g] but kept him free from sin;
10:14 she went down to the
dungeon with him; she would not abandon him in his chains, but procured for him
the sceptre of a kingdom and authority over his despotic masters, thus exposing
as liars those who had traduced him, and giving him honour everlasting.
The Exodus
10:15 A holy people and a
blameless race, this she delivered from a nation of oppressors.
10:16 She entered the soul of
a servant of the Lord,[*h] and withstood fearsome kings with wonders and signs.
10:17 To the saints she gave
the wages of their labours; she led them by a marvellous road; she herself was
their shelter by day and their starlight through the night.
10:18 She brought them across
the Red Sea, led them through that immensity of water,
10:19 while she swallowed
their enemies in the waves then spat them out from the depths of the abyss.
10:20 So the virtuous
despoiled the godless; Lord, they extolled your holy name, and with one accord
praised your protecting hand,
10:21 for Wisdom opened the
mouths of the dumb and gave speech to the tongues of babes.
JB WISDOM Chapter 11
11:1 At the hand of a holy
prophet[*a] she gave their actions success.
11:2 They journeyed through an
unpeopled wilderness and pitched their tents in inaccessible places.
11:3 They stood firm against
their enemies, fought off their foes.
11:4 On you[*b] they called
when they were thirsty, and from the rocky cliff water was given them, from
hard stone their thirst was quenched.
How water proved
the ruin of Egypt and the saving of Israel
11:5 Thus, what served to
punish their enemies became a benefit for them in their distress.
11:6 You gave them not that
ever-flowing source of river water turbid with defiling floods,
11:7 stern answer for their
decree of infanticide,[*c] but, against all hope, water in abundance,
11:8 showing by the thirst
that then was raging how severely you punished their enemies.
11:9 From their ordeals, which
were no more than the reproofs of Mercy, they learned what tortures a sentence
of wrath inflicts on the godless;
11:10 you tested them indeed,
correcting them like a father, but the others you strictly examined, like a
severe king who condemns.
11:11 Near or far away,[*d]
they were equally worn down,
11:12 double indeed was the
grief that seized on them, double the groaning at the memory of the past;
11:13 hearing that what
punished them[*e] had set the others rejoicing, they saw the Lord in it,
11:14 and for him whom long
ago they had cast out, exposed, and later mockingly rebuffed,[*f] they felt
only amazement when all was done; the thirst of the virtuous and theirs had
worked so differently.
God's forbearance
with Egypt
11:15 As their foolish and
wicked notions led them astray into worshipping mindless reptiles and
contemptible beasts, you sent hordes of mindless creatures to punish them
11:16 and teach them that the
instruments of sin are instruments of punishment.
11:17 And indeed your
all-powerful hand did not lack means - the hand that from formless matter
created the world - to unleash a horde of bears or savage lions on them
11:18 or unknown beasts, newly
created, full of rage, exhaling fiery breath, ejecting swirls of stinking smoke
or flashing fearful sparks from their eyes,
11:19 beasts not only able to
crush them with a blow, but also to destroy them by their terrifying
appearance.
11:20 But even without these,
they could have dropped dead at a single breath, pursued by your justice,
whirled away by the breath of your power. But no, you ordered all things by
measure, number, weight.
This forbearance explained
11:21 For your great strength
is always at your call; who can withstand the might of your arm?
11:22 In your sight the whole
world is like a grain of dust that tips the scales, like a drop of morning dew
falling on the ground.
11:23 Yet you are merciful to
all, because you can do all things and overlook men's sins so that they can
repent.
11:24 Yes, you love all that
exists, you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence, for had you hated
anything, you would not have formed it.
11:25 And how, had you not
willed it, could a thing persist, how be conserved if not called forth by you?
11:26 You spare all things
because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life,
JB WISDOM Chapter 12
12:1 you whose imperishable
spirit is in all.
12:2 Little by little,
therefore, you correct those who offend, you admonish and remind them of how
they have sinned, so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you, Lord.
God's forbearance
with Canaan
12:3 The ancient inhabitants
of your holy land
12:4 you hated for their
loathsome practices, their deeds of sorcery and unholy rites,
12:5 hated as ruthless
murderers of children, as eaters of entrails at feasts of human flesh,
initiated while the bloody orgy goes on,[*a]
12:6 as murderous parents of
defenceless beings. You determined to destroy them at our fathers' hands,
12:7 so that this land, dearer
to you than any other, might receive a colony of God's children worthy of it.
12:8 Even so, since these were
men, you treated them leniently, sending hornets as forerunners of your army,
to destroy them bit by bit.
12:9 Not that you could not
hand the godless over to the virtuous in pitched battle or destroy them at once
by savage beasts or one stern word from you;
12:10 but, by condemning them
piece by piece, you gave them the chance to repent, although you knew very well
they were inherently evil, innately wicked
12:11 and fixed in their cast
of mind; for they were a race accursed from the beginning.
This forbearance
explained
Nor was it from awe of anyone
that you left them unpunished
12:12 for their sins. Who
would venture to say, 'What have you done?' Who would dare to defy your
sentence? Who arraign you for destroying nations which you have created? What
champion of guilty men dare come to confront you and challenge you?
12:13 For there is no god,
other than you, who cares for every thing, to whom you might have to prove that
you never judged unjustly;
12:14 as for those you
punished, no king, no despot, dare reproach you with it to your face.
12:15 Being just yourself, you
order all things justly, holding it unworthy of your power to condemn a man who
has not deserved to be punished.
12:16 Your justice has its
source in strength, your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all.
12:17 You show your strength
when your sovereign power is questioned and you expose the insolence of those
who know it;
12:18 but, disposing of such
strength, you are mild in judgement, you govern us with great lenience, for you
have only to will, and your power is there.
What is to be
learned from God's forbearance
12:19 By acting thus you have
taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his
fellow men, and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will
grant repentance.
12:20 If with such care and
such indulgence you have punished the enemies of your children, when death was
what they deserved, and given them time and room to rid themselves of
wickedness,
12:21 with what exact
attention have you not judged your sons, to whose ancestors you made such fair
promises by oaths and covenants.
12:22 Thus, while you correct
us, you flog our enemies ten thousand times harder, to teach us, when we judge,
to reflect on your kindness and when we are judged, to look for mercy.
God follows
clemency with severity
12:23 This is why, against
those who were leading wicked and foolish lives, you turned their own
abominations[*b] to torment them;
12:24 they had indeed strayed
too far from paths that strayed already, and came to regard the vilest, most
contemptible animals as gods, being deceived, like silly little children.
12:25 So, as to children with
no sense, you sent them a punishment to mock them,
12:26 but they who took no
warning from such mocking correction were soon to experience a punishment
worthy of God.
12:27 Worn down by what they
suffered from these beasts, those beasts they had taken for gods, now the means
of their punishment, they saw straight, and acknowledged as true God him they
had hitherto refused to know. That is why the extreme penalty was inflicted on
them.
JB WISDOM Chapter 13
Astral and nature
cults
13:1 Yes, naturally stupid are
all men who have not known God and who, from the good things that are seen,
have not been able to discover Him-who-is, or, by studying the works, have
failed to recognise the Artificer.
13:2 Fire however, or wind, or
the swift air, the sphere of the stars, impetuous water, heaven's lamps, are
what they have held to be the gods who govern the world.
13:3 If, charmed by their
beauty, they have taken things for gods, let them know how much the Lord of
these excels them, since the very Author of beauty has created them.
13:4 And if they have been
impressed by their power and energy, let them deduce from these how much
mightier is he that has formed them,
13:5 since through the
grandeur and beauty of the creatures we may, by analogy, contemplate their
Author.
13:6 Small blame, however,
attaches to these men, for perhaps they only go astray in their search for God
and their eagerness to find him;
13:7 living among his works,
they strive to comprehend them and fall victim to appearances, seeing so much
beauty.
13:8 Even so, they are not to
be excused:
13:9 if they are capable of
acquiring enough knowledge to be able to investigate the world, how have they
been so slow to find its Master?
The cults of idols
13:10 But wretched are they -
in dead things putting their hopes - who have given to things made by human
hands the title of gods, gold and silver, finely worked, likenesses of animals,
or some useless stone, carved by some hand long ago.
13:11 Take a woodcutter. He
fells a suitable tree, neatly strips off the bark all over and then with
admirable skill works the wood into an object useful in daily life.
13:12 The bits left over from
his work he uses for cooking his food, then eats his fill.
13:13 There is still a
good-for-nothing bit left over, a gnarled and knotted billet: he picks it up,
whittles it with the concentration of leisure, he shapes it with the skill of
relaxation, he gives it a human shape
13:14 or perhaps he makes it
into some vile animal, smears it with ochre, paints its surface red, coats over
all its blemishes.
13:15 He next makes a worthy
home for it, lets it into the wall, fixes it with an iron clamp.
13:16 Thus he makes sure that
it will not fall down - he is well aware it cannot help itself: it is only an
image, and it needs to be helped.
13:17 And yet, if he wishes to
pray for his goods, for marriages, for his children, he does not blush to
harangue this lifeless thing - for health he invokes weakness,
13:18 for life he pleads with
death, for help he goes begging to utter inexperience, for his travels, to
something that cannot stir a foot;
13:19 for his profits and
plans and success in pursuing his craft, he asks skill from something whose
hands have no skill whatever.
JB WISDOM Chapter 14
14:1 Or someone else, taking
ship to cross the raging sea, invokes a log[*a] even frailer than the vessel
that bears him.
14:2 No doubt that ship is the
product of a craving for gain, its building embodies the wisdom of the
shipwright,
14:3 but your providence,
Father, is what steers it, you having opened a pathway even through the sea, a
safe way over the waves,
14:4 showing that you can
save, whatever happens, so that even without skill a man may sail abroad.
14:5 It is not your will that
the works of your Wisdom lie idle, and hence men entrust their lives to the
smallest piece of wood, cross the high seas on a raft and come safe to port.
14:6 Why, in the beginning
even, while the proud giants were perishing, the hope of the world took refuge
on a raft[*b] and, steered by your hand, preserved the germ of a new generation
for the ages to come
14:7 For blessed is the wood
which serves the cause of virtue,
14:8 but accursed that
hand-made thing and its maker, he for having made it, the perishable thing
itself because it has been called god.
14:9 Yes, God holds the
godless and his godlessness in equal hatred;
14:10 work and workman alike
shall be punished.
14:11 Hence judgement shall
fall on the idols themselves of the heathen, since, although part of God's
creation, they have become an abomination, snares for the souls of men, a
pitfall for the feet of the reckless.
The origin of the
cult of idols
14:12 The invention of idols
was the origin of fornication,[*c] their discovery the corrupting of life.
14:13 They did not exist at
the beginning, they will not exist for ever;
14:14 through human vanity
they came into the world and hence a sudden end has been designed for them.
14:15 A father afflicted by
untimely mourning makes an image of his child so swiftly taken, and now he
honours as a god what yesterday had only been a dead man, bequeathing mysteries
and initiations to his dependents.
14:16 Then in the course of
time the godless custom hardens, and is observed as law
14:17 and, by command of
princes, the carved images receive worship. Of those who lived too far away to
be honoured in person men would make a portrait from a distance and produce a
visible image of the king they honoured, meaning, by such zeal, to flatter the
absent as if he were with them.
14:18 Even people who did not
know him were stimulated into spreading his cult by the idealism of the artist;
14:19 for the latter,
doubtless wishing to please the ruler, exerted all his skill to make the
likeness finer than reality
14:20 and the crowd, carried
away by the beauty of the work, accorded divine honours to him whom only
recently they had honoured as a man.
14:21 And this became a
pitfall for life, that men, whether slaves to misfortune or princely power,
should have bestowed the incommunicable name on sticks and stones.
The consequences of
idolatry
14:22 Soon it is not enough
for them that their knowledge of God should be at fault; in the great struggle
to which ignorance condemns their lives they next give such massive ills the
name of peace.
14:23 With their
child-murdering initiations, their secret mysteries, their orgies with
outlandish ceremonies,[*d]
14:24 they no longer retain
any purity in their lives or their marriages, one treacherously murdering the
next or doing him injury by adultery.
14:25 Everywhere a welter of
blood and murder, theft and fraud, corruption, treachery, riots, perjury,
14:26 disturbance of decent
people, forgetfulness of favours, pollution of souls, sins against nature,
disorder in marriage, adultery, debauchery.
14:27 For the worship of
unnamed[*e] idols is the beginning, cause, and end of every evil.
14:28 Either that, or they rave
in ecstasy, or utter false oracles, or lead lives of great wickedness, or
perjure themselves without hesitation;
14:29 for since they put their
trust in lifeless idols they do not reckon their false oaths can harm them.
14:30 But justice will
overtake them on two counts: as idolaters, for degrading the concept of God, as
frauds, for swearing in despite of truth, in defiance of all that is holy.
14:31 For it is not the power
of the things by which men swear but the retribution due to sinners that always
overtakes the offence of the guilty.
JB WISDOM Chapter 15
Israel not
idolatrous
15:1 But you, our God, are
kind, loyal and slow to anger, and you govern all things with mercy.
15:2 If we sin, we still are
yours, since we acknowledge your power, but, knowing you acknowledge us as
yours, we will not sin.
15:3 To acknowledge you is
indeed the perfect virtue, to know your power is the root of immortality.
15:4 No invention of perverted
human skill has led us astray, no painter's sterile labour, no figure daubed
with assorted colours,
15:5 the sight of which sets
fools yearning and reverencing the lifeless form of some unbreathing image.
15:6 Lovers of evil and worthy
of such hopes, are those who make them, those who reverence them and those who
worship them.
The makers of idols
are fools
15:7 Take a potter, now,
laboriously working the soft earth, shaping all sorts of things for us to use.
Out of the same clay, even so, he models vessels intended for clean purposes
and the contrary sort, all alike; but which of these two uses each will have is
for the potter himself to decide.
15:8 Then - effort very evilly
spent - of the same clay he shapes a futile god - he who, so recently made out
of earth himself, will shortly return to what he was taken from, once he is
called to give an account of his life.
15:9 Even so he wastes no
thought on imminent death or on the shortness of his life. Far from it, he
strives to outdo the goldsmiths and silversmiths, apes the bronzeworkers too,
and takes pride in the spurious models that he makes.
15:10 Ashes, his heart, meaner
than dirt his hope, his life more ignoble than clay,
15:11 since he misconceives
the One who shaped him, who breathed an active soul into him and inspired a
living spirit.
15:12 What is more, he looks
on this life of ours as a kind of game, and our time here like a fair, full of
bargains. 'However foul the means,' he says 'a man must make a living.'
15:13 He, more than any other,
knows he is sinning, he who from the same earthly material makes both breakable
vessel and idol.
The folly of the
Egyptians; their indiscriminate idolatry
15:14 But most foolish, more
pitiable even than the soul of a little child, are the enemies who once played
the tyrant with your people,
15:15 and have taken all the
idols of the heathen for gods, which can use neither their eyes for seeing nor
their nostrils for breathing the air nor their ears for hearing nor the fingers
on their hands for handling; while their feet are no use for walking,
15:16 since a human being made
them, a creature of borrowed breath gave them shape. Now no man can shape a god
as good as himself;
15:17 subject to death, his
impious hands can only produce something dead. He himself is worthier than the
things he worships; he will at least have lived, but never they.
15:18 Even the most hateful
animals are worshipped, worse than the rest in their degree of stupidity.
15:19 With no trace of beauty
to prompt the inclination - as some animals might have - the praise and
blessing of God do not come their way.
JB WISDOM Chapter 16
Egypt and Israel:
harmful animals, quails
16:1 Thus they were
appropriately punished by similar creatures and were tormented by hordes of
brutes.
16:2 In contrast to this
punishment, you treated your own people with kindness and, to satisfy their
sharp appetite, you provided for their food quails, a luscious rarity.
16:3 Thus the Egyptians, at
the repulsive sight of the creatures sent against them,[*a] were to find,
though they longed for food, that even their natural appetite had revolted.
While your own people, after a short privation, were to have a rare relish for
their portion.
16:4 Inevitable that
relentless want should seize on the former, the oppressors; enough for the
latter to be shown how their enemies were being tortured.
Egypt and Israel:
the plague of locusts, the bronze serpent
16:5 When the savage rage of
wild animals overtook them and they were perishing from the bites of writhing
snakes, your wrath did not continue to the end.
16:6 It was by way of
reprimand, lasting a short time, that they were distressed, for they had a
saving token to remind them of the commandment of your Law.
16:7 Whoever turned to it was
saved, not by what he looked at, but by you, the universal saviour.
16:8 And by such means you
proved to our enemies that it is you who deliver from every evil;
16:9 since the bites of
locusts and flies proved fatal to them and no remedy could be found to save
them - and well they deserved to be punished by such creatures.
16:10 But, for your sons, not
even the fangs of venomous serpents could bring them down; your mercy came to
their help and cured them.
16:11 One sting - how quickly
healed! - to remind them of your oracles rather than that, by sinking into deep
forgetfulness, they should be cut off from your kindness.
16:12 No herb, no poultice
cured them, but it was your word, Lord, which heals all things.
16:13 For you have power of
life and death, you bring down to the gates of Hades and bring back again.
16:14 Man in his malice may put
to death, he does not bring the departed spirit back or free the soul that
Hades has once received.
Egypt and Israel:
the elements
16:15 It is not possible to
escape your hand.
16:16 The godless who refused
to acknowledge you were scourged by the strength of your arm, pursued by no
ordinary rains, hail and unrelenting downpours, and consumed by fire.
16:17 Even more wonderful, in
the water - which quenches all - the fire raged fiercer than ever; for the
elements fight for the virtuous.
16:18 At one moment the flame
would die down, to avoid consuming the animals sent against the godless and to
make clear to them by that sight, that the sentence of God was pursuing them;
16:19 at another, in the very
heart of the water, it would burn more fiercely than fire to ruin the harvests
of a guilty land.
16:20 How differently with
your people! You gave them the food of angels,[*b] from heaven untiringly
sending them bread already prepared, containing every delight, satisfying every
taste.
16:21 And the substance you
gave demonstrated your sweetness towards your children, for, conforming to the
taste of whoever ate it, it transformed itself into what each eater wished.
16:22 Snow and ice endured the
fire, without melting; by which they were to know that, to destroy the harvests
of their enemies, fire would burn even in hail and flare in falling rain,
16:23 whereas, on the other
hand, it would even forget its own virtue in the service of feeding the
virtuous.
16:24 For creation, in
obedience to you, its maker, exerts itself to punish the wicked and slackens
for the benefit of those who trust in you.
16:25 Thus it became, by a
total transformation, the agent of your all-nourishing bounty, conforming to
the wish of those in need,
16:26 so that your beloved
children, Lord, might learn that the various crops are not what nourishes man,
but your word which preserves all who trust in you.
16:27 For that, which fire
could not destroy melted in the heat of a single fleeting sunbeam,
16:28 to show that, to give
you thanks, we must rise before the sun and pray to you when light begins to
dawn;
16:29 for the hope of the
ungrateful will melt like winter's frost and flow away like water running to
waste.
JB WISDOM Chapter 17
Egypt and Israel:
darkness and light
17:1 Your judgements are
indeed great and inexpressible, which is why undisciplined souls have gone
astray.
17:2 When impious men imagined
they had the holy nation in their power, they themselves lay prisoners of the
dark,[*a] in the fetters of long night, confined under their own roofs,
banished from eternal providence.
17:3 While they thought to
remain unnoticed with their secret sins, curtained by dark forgetfulness, they
were scattered in fearful dismay, terrified by apparitions.
17:4 The hiding place
sheltering them could not ward off their fear; terrifying noises echoed round
them; and gloomy, grim-faced spectres haunted them.
17:5 No fire had power enough
to give them light, nor could the brightly blazing stars illuminate that
dreadful night -
17:6 only a great blaze,
burning of its own accord, that, full of dread, shone through to them; And in
their terror, once that sight had vanished, they thought what they had seen
more terrible than ever.
17:7 Their magic arts proved
utterly unavailing, their boasted cunning was ignominiously confounded;
17:8 for those who professed
to drive out fears and disorders from sick souls, themselves fell sick of a
ridiculous terror.
17:9 Even when there was
nothing frightful to scare them, the prowling of beasts and the hissing of reptiles
terrified them; they died convulsed with fright, refusing so much as to look at
the air, which cannot be eluded anyhow!
17:10 Wickedness is
confessedly very cowardly, and it condemns itself; under pressure from
conscience it always assumes the worst.
17:11 Fear, indeed, is nothing
other than the abandonment of the supports offered by reason;
17:12 the less you rely within
yourself on these, the more alarming it is not to know the cause of your
suffering.
17:13 And they, all locked in
the same sleep, while that darkness lasted, which was in fact quite powerless
and had issued from the depths of equally powerless Hades,
17:14 were now chased by
monstrous spectres, now paralysed by fainting of their souls; for a sudden,
unexpected terror had swept over them.
17:15 And thus, whoever it
might be that fell there stayed clamped to the spot in this prison without
bars.
17:16 Whether he was ploughman
or shepherd, or someone working by himself, he was still overtaken and suffered
the inevitable fate, for all had been bound by the one same chain of darkness.
17:17 The soughing of the
wind, the tuneful noise of birds in the spreading branches, the measured beat
of water in its powerful course, the harsh din of the rocky avalanche,
17:18 the invisible, swift
course of bounding animals, the roaring of the savagest wild beasts, the echo
rebounding from the clefts in the mountains, all held them paralysed with fear.
17:19 The whole world was
shining with brilliant light and, unhindered, went on with its work;
17:20 over them alone there
spread a heavy darkness, image of the dark that would receive them. But heavier
than the darkness, the burden they were to themselves.
JB WISDOM Chapter 18
18:1 But for your holy ones
all was great light. The Egyptians who could hear their voices, though not see
their shapes, called them fortunate because they had not suffered too;
18:2 they thanked them for
doing no injury in return for previous wrongs and asked forgiveness for their
past ill-will.
18:3 In contrast to the
darkness, you gave your people a pillar of blazing fire, to guide them on their
unknown journey, a mild sun for their ambitious migration.
18:4 But well they deserved,
those others, to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness, for having
kept in captivity your children, by whom the imperishable light of the Law was
to be given to the world.
Egypt and Israel:
the Destroyer
18:5 As they had resolved to
kill the infants of the holy ones, and as of those exposed only one child had
been saved, to punish them, you made away with thousands of their children, and
destroyed them all together in the wild waves.
18:6 That night had been
foretold to our ancestors, so that, once they saw what kind of oaths they had
put their trust in, they would joyfully take courage.
18:7 This was the expectation
of your people, the saving of the virtuous and the ruin of their enemies;
18:8 for by the same act with
which you took vengeance on our foes you made us glorious by calling us to you.
18:9 The devout children of
worthy men offered sacrifice[*a] in secret and this divine pact they struck
with one accord: that the saints would share the same blessings and dangers
alike; and forthwith they had begun to chant the hymns of the fathers.[*b]
18:10 In echo came the
discordant cries of their enemies and the pitiful sound rang out of those
lamenting their children.
18:11 The same punishment
struck slave and master alike, commoner and king suffered the selfsame loss.
18:12 All had innumerable dead
alike, struck by the same death. There were not enough living left to bury
them, for in a moment the flower of their race had perished.
18:13 They who, thanks to
their sorceries, had been wholly incredulous, at the destruction of their
first-born now acknowledged this people to be son of God.
18:14 When peaceful silence
lay over all, and night had run the half of her swift course,
18:15 down from the heavens,
from the royal throne, leapt your all-powerful Word; into the heart of a doomed
land the stern warrior leapt. Carrying your unambiguous command like a sharp
sword,
18:16 he stood, and filled the
universe with death; he touched the sky, yet trod the earth.
18:17 Immediately, dreams and
gruesome visions overwhelmed them with terror, unexpected fears assailed them.
18:18 Hurled down, some here,
some there, half dead, they proclaimed why it was they were dying;
18:19 for the dreams that had
troubled them had warned them why beforehand, so that they might not perish
without knowing why they had been struck down.
18:20 But the virtuous, too,
felt the touch of death; a multitude was struck down in the wilderness. But the
wrath did not last long,
18:21 for a blameless man[*c]
hastened to champion their cause. Wielding the weapons of his sacred office,
prayer and atoning incense, he took his stand against the Anger and put an end
to the calamity, showing that he was indeed your servant.
18:22 He conquered the bitter
plague, not by physical strength, not by force of arms; but by word he
prevailed over the Punisher, by recalling the oaths made to the Fathers, and
the covenants.
18:23 Already the corpses lay
piled in heaps, when he interposed and beat back the wrath and cut off its
approach to the living.
18:24 For the whole world was
on his flowing robe,[*d] the glorious names of the Fathers on the four rows of
stones, and your Majesty on the diadem on his head.
18:25 From these the Destroyer
recoiled, he was afraid of these; a mere taste of the wrath had been enough.
JB WISDOM Chapter 19
Egypt and Israel:
the Red Sea
19:1 But the godless were
assailed by merciless anger to the very end, for God knew beforehand what they
would do,
19:2 how, after letting his
people leave and hastening their departure, they would change their minds and
set out in pursuit.
19:3 They were actually still
conducting their mourning rites and lamenting at the tombs of their dead, when
another mad scheme entered their heads, and they set out to pursue as fugitives
the very people they had begged to go away.
19:4 A well-deserved fate
urged them to this extreme and made them forget what had already happened, so
that to all their torments they might add the one penalty still outstanding
19:5 and, while your people
accomplished a miraculous journey, themselves meet an extraordinary death.
19:6 For, to keep your
children from all harm, the whole creation, obedient to your commands, was once
more, and newly, fashioned in its nature.
19:7 Overshadowing the camp
there was the cloud, where water had been, dry land was seen to rise, the Red
Sea became an unimpeded way, the tempestuous flood a green plain;
19:8 sheltered by your hand,
the whole nation passed across, gazing at these amazing miracles.
19:9 They were like horses at
pasture, they skipped like lambs, singing your praises, Lord, their deliverer.
Nature refashioned
for Israel
19:10 They still remembered
the events of their exile, how the land, not bearing animals, had bred
mosquitoes instead, how, instead of fish, the river had disgorged innumerable
frogs.
19:11 Later they saw a new
method of birth for birds when, goaded by hunger, they asked for food they
could relish,
19:12 and quails came out of
the sea to satisfy them.
Egypt more
blameworthy than Sodom
19:13 On the sinners, however,
punishments rained down not without violent thunder as early warning; and
deservedly they suffered for their crimes, since they evinced such bitter
hatred towards strangers.
19:14 Others[*a] had refused
to welcome unknown men on their arrival, but these had made slaves of guests
and benefactors.
19:15 The former, moreover -
and this will be to their credit - had shown the foreigners hostility from the
start;
19:16 not so the latter: these
welcomed your people with feasting and after granting them equal rights with
themselves then afflicted them with forced labour.
19:17 Thus they were struck
with blindness like the former at the door of the virtuous man,[*b] when,
yawning darkness all around them, each had to grope his way through his own
door.
Nature refashioned
at the Exodus
19:18 Thus the elements
interchanged their qualities, as on a harp the notes may change their rhythm,
though all the while preserving their tone; this clearly appears from a
scrutiny of the events.
19:19 Creatures that live on
land became aquatic,[*c] and those that swim emerged on land.
19:20 Fire increased its own
virtue in the water, water forgot its property of extinguishing.
19:21 Flames, on the other
hand, would not scorch the flesh of animals, however frail, that ventured into
them; nor would they melt that heavenly food like hoarfrost, and as easily
melted.
Conclusion
19:22 Yes, Lord, in every way
you have made your people great and glorious; you have never disdained them,
but stood by them always and everywhere.
END OF JB WISDOM [19
Chapters].