Wisdom of Solomon 18

1 Τοῖς δὲ ὁσίοις σου μέγιστον ἦν φῶς, ὧν φωνὴν μὲν ἀκούοντες, μορφὴν δὲ οὐχ ὁρῶντες, ὅτι μὲν οὖν κᾀκεῖνοι ἐπεπόνθεισαν, ἐμακάριζον,

2 ὅτι δὲ οὐ βλάπτουσι προηδικημένοι, εὐχαριστοῦσι, καὶ τοῦ διενεχθῆναι χάριν ἐδέοντο.

3 Ἀνθʼ ὧν πυριφλεγῆ στύλον, ὁδηγὸν μὲν ἀγνώστου ὁδοιπορίας, ἥλιον δὲ ἀβλαβῆ φιλοτίμου ξενιτείας παρέσχες.

4 Ἄξιοι μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι στερηθῆναι φωτὸς, καὶ φυλακισθῆναι ἐν σκότει, οἱ κατακλείστους φυλάξαντες τοὺς υἱούς σου, διʼ ὧν ἤμελλε τὸ ἄφθαρτον νόμου φῶς τῷ αἰῶνι δίδοσθαι.

5 Βουλευσαμένους δʼ αὐτοὺς τὰ τῶν ὁσιῶν ἀποκτεῖναι νήπια, καὶ ἑνὸς ἐκτεθέντος τέκνου, καὶ σωθέντος, εἰς ἔλεγχον τὸ αὐτῶν ἀφείλω πλῆθος τέκνων, καὶ ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἀπώλεσας ἐν ὕδατι σφοδρῷ.

6 Ἐκείνη ἡ νὺξ προεγνώσθη πατράσιν ἡμῶν, ἵνα ἀσφαλῶς εἰδότες οἷς ἐπίστευσαν ὅρκοις, ἐπευθυμήσωσι.

7 Προσεδέχθη δὲ ὑπὸ λαοῦ σου σωτηρία μὲν δικαίων, ἐχθρῶν δὲ ἀπώλεια.

8 Ὧς γὰρ ἐτιμωρήσω τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, τούτῳ ἡμᾶς προσκαλεσάμενος ἐδόξασας.

9 Κρυφῇ γὰρ ἐθυσιαζον ὅσιοι παῖδες ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τὸν τῆς θειότητος νόμον ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ διέθεντο, τῶν αὐτῶν ὁμοίως καὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ κινδύνων μεταλήψεσθαι τοὺς ἁγίους, πατέρων ἤδη προαναμελπόντων αἴνους.

10 Ἀντήχει δʼ ἀσύμφωνος ἐχθρῶν βοὴ, καὶ οἰκτρὰ διεφέρετο θρηνουμένων παίδων.

11 Ὁμοίᾳ δὲ δίκῃ δοῦλος ἅμα δεσπότῃ κολασθεὶς, καὶ δημότης βασιλεῖ τὰ αὐτὰ πάσχων.

12 Ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ πάντες ἐν ἑνὶ ὀνόματι θανάτου νεκροὺς εἶχον ἀναριθμήτους, οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ θάψαι οἱ ζῶντες ἦσαν ἱκανοὶ, ἐπεὶ πρὸς μίαν ῥοπὴν ἡ ἐντιμοτέρα γένεσις αὐτῶν διεφθάρη.

13 Πάντα γὰρ ἀπιστοῦντες διὰ τὰς φαρμακίας, ἐπὶ τῷ τῶν πρωτοτόκων ὀλέθρῳ, ὡμολόγησαν Θεοῦ υἱὸν λαὸν εἶναι.

14 Ἡσύχου γὰρ σιγῆς περιεχούσης τὰ πάντα, καὶ νυκτὸς ἐν ἰδίῳ τάχει μεσαζούσης,

15 ὁ παντοδύναμός σου λόγος ἀπʼ οὐρανῶν ἐκ θρόνων βασιλειῶν, ἀπότομος πολεμιστὴς, εἰς μέσον τῆς ὀλεθρίας ἥλατο γῆς, ξίφος ὀξὺ τὴν ἀνυπόκριτον ἐπιταγήν σον φέρων,

16 καὶ στὰς ἐπλήρωσε τὰ πάντα θανάτου· καὶ οὐρανοῦ μὲν ἥπτετο, βεβήκει δʼ ἐπὶ γῆς.

17 Τότε παραχρῆμα φαντασίαι μὲν ὀνείρων δεινῶς ἐξετάραξαν αὐτοὺς, φόβοι δὲ ἐπέστησαν ἀδόκητοι

18 καὶ ἄλλος ἀλλαχῇ ῥιφεὶς ἡμίθνητος, διʼ ἣν ἔθνησκεν αἰτίαν ἐνεφάνιζεν.

19 Οἱ γὰρ ὄνειροι θορυβήσαντες αὐτοὺς, τοῦτο προεμήνυσαν, ἵνα μὴ ἀγνοοῦντες διʼ ὃ κακῶς πάσχουσιν, ἀπόλωνται.

20 Ἥψατο δὲ καὶ δικαίων πεῖρα θανάτου, καὶ θραῦσις ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἐγένετο πλήθους· ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἔμεινεν ἡ ὀργή.

21 Σπεύσας γὰρ ἀνὴρ ἄμεμπτος προεμάχησε· τὸ τῆς ἰδίας λειτουργίας ὅπλον, προσευχὴν καὶ θυμιάματος ἐξιλασμὸν κομίσας, ἀντέστη τῷ θυμῷ, καὶ πέρας ἐπέθηκε τῇ συμφορᾷ, δεικνὺς ὅτι σός ἐστι θεράπων.

22 Ἐνίκησε δὲ τὸν ὄχλον οὐκ ἰσχύϊ τοῦ σώματος, οὐχ ὅπλων ἐνεργείᾳ, ἀλλὰ λόγῳ τὸν κολάζοντα ὑπέταξεν, ὅρκους πατέρων καὶ διαθήκας ὑπομνήσας.

23 Σωρηδὸν γὰρ ἤδη πεπτωκότων ἐπʼ ἀλλήλων νεκρῶν, μεταξὺ στὰς, ἀνέκοψε τὴν ὀργὴν, καὶ διέσχισε τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ζῶντας ὁδόν.

24 Ἐπὶ γὰρ ποδήρους ἐνδύματος ἦν ὅλος ὁ κόσμος, καὶ πατέρων δόξαι ἐπὶ τετραστίχου λίθου γλυφῆς, καὶ μεγαλωσύνη σου ἐπὶ διαδήματος κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ.

25 Τούτοις εἶξεν ὁ ὀλοθρεύων, ταῦτα δὲ ἐφοβήθησαν· ἦν γὰρ μόνη ἡ πεῖρα τῆς ὀργῆς ἱκανή.

1 Nevertheless thy saints had a very great light, whose voice they hearing, and not seeing their shape, because they also had not suffered the same things, they counted them happy.

2 But for that they did not hurt them now , of whom they had been wronged before, they thanked them, and besought them pardon for that they had been enemies.

3 Instead whereof thou gavest them a burning pillar of fire, both to be a guide of the unknown journey, and a harmless sun to entertain them honourably.

4 For they were worthy to be deprived of light, and imprisoned in darkness, who had kept thy sons shut up, by whom the uncorrupt light of the law was to be given unto the world.

5 And when they had determined to slay the babes of the saints, one child being cast forth, and saved, to reprove them, thou tookest away the multitude of their children, and destroyedst them all together in a mighty water.

6 Of that night were our fathers certified afore, that assuredly knowing unto what oaths they had given credence, they might afterwards be of good cheer.

7 So of thy people was accepted both the salvation of the righteous, and destruction of the enemies.

8 For wherewith thou didst punish our adversaries, by the same thou didst glorify us, whom thou hadst called.

9 For the righteous children of good men did sacrifice secretly, and with one consent made a holy law, that the saints should be like partakers of the same good and evil, the fathers now singing out the songs of praise.

10 But on the other side there sounded an ill according cry of the enemies, and a lamentable noise was carried abroad for children that were bewailed.

11 The master and the servant were punished after one manner; and like as the king, so suffered the common person.

12 So they all together had innumerable dead with one kind of death; neither were the living sufficient to bury them: for in one moment the noblest offspring of them was destroyed.

13 For whereas they would not believe any thing by reason of the enchantments; upon the destruction of the firstborn, they acknowledged this people to be the sons of God.

14 For while all things were in quiet silence, and that night was in the midst of her swift course,

15 thine Almighty word leaped from heaven out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war into the midst of a land of destruction,

16 and brought thine unfeigned commandment as a sharp sword, and standing up filled all things with death; and it touched the heaven, but it stood upon the earth.

17 Then suddenly visions of horrible dreams troubled them sore, and terrors came upon them unlooked for.

18 And one thrown here, and another there, half dead, shewed the cause of his death.

19 For the dreams that troubled them did foreshew this, lest they should perish, and not know why they were afflicted.

20 Yea, the tasting of death touched the righteous also, and there was a destruction of the multitude in the wilderness: but the wrath endured not long.

21 For then the blameless man made haste, and stood forth to defend them; and bringing the shield of his proper ministry, even prayer, and the propitiation of incense, set himself against the wrath, and so brought the calamity to an end, declaring that he was thy servant.

22 So he overcame the destroyer, not with might of body, nor force of arms, but with a word subdued him that punished, alleging the oaths and covenants made with the fathers.

23 For when the dead were now fallen down by heaps one upon another, standing between, he stayed the wrath, and parted the way to the living.

24 For in the long garment was the whole world, and in the four rows of the stones was the glory of the fathers graven, and thy Majesty upon the diadem of his head.

25 Unto these the destroyer gave place, and they were afraid of them: for it was enough that they only tasted of the wrath.