The Wisdom of Solomon

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- Kapitel 19 -

Why God showed no mercy to the Egyptians. His favour to the Israelites. All creatures obey God’s orders for the service of the good, and the punishment of the wicked.

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

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

For 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:

For 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:

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

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

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

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

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

For 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.

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

For 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.

For 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.

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

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

But 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.

For 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.

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

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

On 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.

Why God showed no mercy to the Egyptians. His favour to the Israelites. All creatures obey God’s orders for the service of the good, and the punishment of the wicked.

But indignation without mercy came upon the ungodly to the end; for God also foreknew their future,

how, having changed their minds to let your people go, and having sped them eagerly on their way, they would change their minds and pursue them.

For while they were yet in the midst of their mourning, and lamenting at the graves of the dead, they made another foolish decision, and pursued as fugitives those whom they had begged to leave and driven out.

For the doom which they deserved was drawing them to this end, and it made them forget the things that had happened to them, that they might fill up the punishment which was yet lacking from their torments,

and that your people might journey on by a marvelous road, but they themselves might find a strange death.

For the whole creation, each part in its diverse kind, was made new again, complying with your commandments, that your servants might be kept unharmed.

Then the cloud that overshadowed the camp was seen, and dry land rising up out of what had been water, out of the Red sea an unhindered highway, and a grassy plain out of the violent surge,

by which they passed over with all their army, these who were covered with your hand, having seen strange marvels.

For like horses they roamed at large, and they skipped about like lambs, praising you, O Lord, who was their deliverer.

For they still remembered the things that happened in the time of their sojourning, how instead of bearing cattle, the land brought forth lice, and instead of fish, the river spewed out a multitude of frogs.

But afterwards, they also saw a new kind of birds, when, led on by desire, they asked for luxurious dainties;

for, to comfort them, quails came up for them from the sea.

Punishments came upon the sinners, not without the signs that were given beforehand by the violence of the thunder, for they justly suffered through their own wickednesses, for the hatred which they practiced toward guests was grievous indeed.

For while the others didn’t receive the strangers when they came to them, the Egyptians made slaves of guests who were their benefactors.

And not only so, but while punishment of some sort will come upon the former, since they received as enemies those who were aliens;

because these first welcomed with feastings, and then afflicted with dreadful toils, those who had already shared with them in the same rights.

And moreover they were stricken with loss of sight (even as were those others at the righteous man’s doors), when, being surrounded with yawning darkness, they each looked for the passage through his own door.

For as the notes of a lute vary the character of the rhythm, even so the elements, changing their order one with another, continuing always in its sound, as may clearly be conjectured from the sight of the things that have happened.

For creatures of the dry land were turned into creatures of the waters, and creatures that swim moved upon the land.

Fire kept the mastery of its own power in water, and water forgot its quenching nature.

On the contrary, flames didn’t consume flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them, neither did they melt the crystalline grains of ambrosial food that were melted easily.

For in all things, O Lord, you magnified your people, and you glorified them and didn’t lightly regard them, standing by their side in every time and place.