Wisdom 17

¹For your judgments, O Lord, are great, and your words are indescribable. Therefore, undisciplined souls have wandered astray.

²For, while they managed to convince the unjust, so as to obtain dominion over the holy nation, they themselves were fettered with chains of darkness and of endless night, enclosed in their houses, fugitives of everlasting providence, lying in ruins.

³And, while they thought to escape notice in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of oblivion, being horribly afraid, and having been disturbed with great astonishment.

⁴For neither did the cave which enclosed them preserve them from fear, because descending noises disturbed them, and the sorrowful persons appearing to them intensified their fear.

⁵And, indeed, even fire had no strength to provide them light, nor could the clear flames of the stars illuminate that horrible night.

⁶Yet there appeared to them a sudden fire, filled with fear; and, having been struck with the fear of that face which is unseen, they considered those things which they did see to be worse,

⁷and, having been ridiculed, the illusions were removed from their arts along with their contemptuous rebuke of glorious wisdom.

⁸Indeed, those who promised to drive away fears and disturbances from a languishing soul, though they were filled with derision, were themselves languishing in fear.

⁹And, even if nothing unnatural disturbed them, yet being agitated by the passing of animals and the hissing of snakes, they died of fear, denying what they themselves saw even in the air, which no one thinks to be able to escape.

¹⁰For, while there may be apprehension with wickedness, it gives testimony to condemnation, for a troubled conscience always forecasts harshness.

¹¹For fear is nothing else but unfaithfulness to thinking helpful things.

¹²And, while expectation is driven from within, the cause of this is supposing that one is great in knowledge, and as a result, conflict excels.

¹³Yet those who were truly powerless that night, being overcome by both the vilest and the deepest hell, were sleeping the same sleep,

¹⁴sometimes stirred up by the fear of unnatural things, other times sinking down in disgrace of soul, for a sudden and unexpected fear overcame them.

¹⁵Then, if any among them had fallen away, he was kept in a prison without bars which had been left open.

¹⁶For if a farmer, or a shepherd, or a worker in a field of labor were suddenly overcome, he endured an inescapable necessity.

¹⁷For they were all bound together with one chain of darkness. Or if there were a whistling wind, or the sweet sound of birds among the thick tree branches, or the force of water rushing excessively,

¹⁸or the strong noise of rocks crashing down, or the scattering of playful animals having been seen, or the strong voice of bellowing beasts, or the resounding of the highest mountain echo, these things made them sink down because of fear.

¹⁹For the whole world was enlightened with a clear light, and none were being hindered in their labors.

²⁰But then, the heavy night was placed over the sun for them, an image of that darkness which was about to overcome them. Yet they were more grievous to themselves than was the darkness.

Wisdom 17

¹For great are thy judgments, and cannot be expressed: therefore unnurtured souls have erred.

²For when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation; they being shut up in their houses, the prisoners of darkness, and fettered with the bonds of a long night, lay there exiled from the eternal providence.

³For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, being horribly astonished, and troubled with strange apparitions.

⁴For neither might the corner that held them keep them from fear: but noises as of waters falling down sounded about them, and sad visions appeared unto them with heavy countenances.

⁵No power of the fire might give them light: neither could the bright flames of the stars endure to lighten that horrible night.

⁶Only there appeared unto them a fire kindled of itself, very dreadful: for being much terrified, they thought the things which they saw to be worse than the sight they saw not.

⁷As for the illusions of art magick, they were put down, and their vaunting in wisdom was reproved with disgrace.

⁸For they, that promised to drive away terrors and troubles from a sick soul, were sick themselves of fear, worthy to be laughed at.

⁹For though no terrible thing did fear them; yet being scared with beasts that passed by, and hissing of serpents,

¹⁰They died for fear, denying that they saw the air, which could of no side be avoided.

¹¹For wickedness, condemned by her own witness, is very timorous, and being pressed with conscience, always forecasteth grievous things.

¹²For fear is nothing else but a betraying of the succours which reason offereth.

¹³And the expectation from within, being less, counteth the ignorance more than the cause which bringeth the torment.

¹⁴But they sleeping the same sleep that night, which was indeed intolerable, and which came upon them out of the bottoms of inevitable hell,

¹⁵Were partly vexed with monstrous apparitions, and partly fainted, their heart failing them: for a sudden fear, and not looked for, came upon them.

¹⁶So then whosoever there fell down was straitly kept, shut up in a prison without iron bars,

¹⁷For whether he were husbandman, or shepherd, or a labourer in the field, he was overtaken, and endured that necessity, which could not be avoided: for they were all bound with one chain of darkness.

¹⁸Whether it were a whistling wind, or a melodious noise of birds among the spreading branches, or a pleasing fall of water running violently,

¹⁹Or a terrible sound of stones cast down, or a running that could not be seen of skipping beasts, or a roaring voice of most savage wild beasts, or a rebounding echo from the hollow mountains; these things made them to swoon for fear.

²⁰For the whole world shined with clear light, and none were hindered in their labour:

²¹Over them only was spread an heavy night, an image of that darkness which should afterward receive them: but yet were they unto themselves more grievous than the darkness.