Wisdom 19

¹But the impious, all the way to the very end, were overcome by anger without mercy. Indeed, he knew beforehand even their future.

²Yet, seeing that they might have repented, so that they would be led by him and be sent forth with great concern, the just sought the impious, while regretting their deeds.

³For, while the just were still holding grief in their hands and weeping at the tombs of the dead, these others took upon themselves another senseless thought, and they cast out the legislators and pursued them as if they were fugitives.

⁴For a fitting necessity was leading them to this end, and they were losing the remembrance of those things which had happened, so that what was lacking in the sufferings of the conflict might be completed by the punishment,

⁵and so that your people, indeed, might wonderfully pass through, but these others might find a new death.

⁶For every creature according to its kind was fashioned again as from the beginning, diligently serving your teachings, so that your children would be preserved unharmed.

⁷For a cloud overshadowed their camp, and where water was before, dry land appeared, and in the Red Sea, a way without hindrance, and out of the great deep, a level field sprung up,

⁸through which the whole nation passed, protected by your hand, seeing your miracles and wonders.

⁹For they consumed food like horses, and they leapt about like lambs, praising you, O Lord, who had freed them.

¹⁰For they were still mindful of those things which had happened during the time of their sojourn, how, instead of cattle, the earth brought forth flies, and instead of fish, the river cast up a multitude of frogs.

¹¹And, lastly, they saw a new kind of bird, when, being led by their desire, they demanded a feast of meat.

¹²For, to console their loss, the quail came up to them from the sea, and yet troubles overcame the sinners, though they were not without the evidence of what had happened before by the power of lightning, for they suffered justly according to their own wickedness.

¹³And indeed, they set up a more detestable inhospitality. Certainly, some have refused to receive unknown foreigners, but these others were drafting good guests into servitude,

¹⁴and not only foreigners, but also those who had been under their care, because they were reluctantly sheltering the outsiders.

¹⁵Yet whoever had sheltered them with gladness, by making use of the very same justice, they afflicted with the most severe sorrow.

¹⁶Yet they were struck with blindness, like someone brought before the gates of justice, so that they were suddenly covered with darkness, and each one was left searching for the threshold of his front door.

¹⁷For the elements in themselves are in the process of being changed, just as when the sound of a musical instrument is being altered in quality, yet each one keeps its own sound, from where it is considered to be and according to its fixed appearance.

¹⁸For the countryside was transformed by water, and things which were swimming, crossed over the land.

¹⁹Fire prevailed in the midst of water, beyond its own power, and the water forgot its quenching nature.

²⁰On the other hand, the flames did not trouble the bodies of the mortal animals walking around, nor did they melt that good food, which is as easily melted as ice. For in all things, O Lord, you magnified your people, and honored them, and did not despise them, but at every time and in every place, you assisted them.

Wisdom 19

¹As for the ungodly, wrath came upon them without mercy unto the end: for he knew before what they would do;

²How that having given them leave to depart, and sent them hastily away, they would repent and pursue them.

³For whilst they were yet mourning and making lamentation at the graves of the dead, they added another foolish device, and pursued them as fugitives, whom they had intreated to be gone.

⁴For the destiny, whereof they were worthy, drew them unto this end, and made them forget the things that had already happened, that they might fulfil the punishment which was wanting to their torments:

⁵And that thy people might pass a wonderful way: but they might find a strange death.

⁶For the whole creature in his proper kind was fashioned again anew, serving the peculiar commandments that were given unto them, that thy children might be kept without hurt:

⁷As namely, a cloud shadowing the camp; and where water stood before, dry land appeared; and out of the Red sea a way without impediment; and out of the violent stream a green field:

⁸Wherethrough all the people went that were defended with thy hand, seeing thy marvellous strange wonders.

⁹For they went at large like horses, and leaped like lambs, praising thee, O Lord, who hadst delivered them.

¹⁰For they were yet mindful of the things that were done while they sojourned in the strange land, how the ground brought forth flies instead of cattle, and how the river cast up a multitude of frogs instead of fishes.

¹¹But afterwards they saw a new generation of fowls, when, being led with their appetite, they asked delicate meats.

¹²For quails came up unto them from the sea for their contentment.

¹³And punishments came upon the sinners not without former signs by the force of thunders: for they suffered justly according to their own wickedness, insomuch as they used a more hard and hateful behaviour toward strangers.

¹⁴For the Sodomites did not receive those, whom they knew not when they came: but these brought friends into bondage, that had well deserved of them.

¹⁵And not only so, but peradventure some respect shall be had of those, because they used strangers not friendly:

¹⁶But these very grievously afflicted them, whom they had received with feastings, and were already made partakers of the same laws with them.

¹⁷Therefore even with blindness were these stricken, as those were at the doors of the righteous man: when, being compassed about with horrible great darkness, every one sought the passage of his own doors.

¹⁸For the elements were changed in themselves by a kind of harmony, like as in a psaltery notes change the name of the tune, and yet are always sounds; which may well be perceived by the sight of the things that have been done.

¹⁹For earthly things were turned into watery, and the things, that before swam in the water, now went upon the ground.

²⁰The fire had power in the water, forgetting his own virtue: and the water forgat his own quenching nature.

²¹On the other side, the flames wasted not the flesh of the corruptible living things, though they walked therein; neither melted they the icy kind of heavenly meat that was of nature apt to melt.

²²For in all things, O Lord, thou didst magnify thy people, and glorify them, neither didst thou lightly regard them: but didst assist them in every time and place.