Wisdom 18

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
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.	1 But your holy ones had very great light; And those others, who heard their voices but did not see their forms, since now they themselves had suffered, called them blest;
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.	2 And because they who formerly had been wronged did not harm them, they thanked them, and pleaded with them, for the sake of the difference between them.
3 Instead whereof thou gavest them a burning pillar of fire, both to be a guide of the unknown journey, and an harmless sun to entertain them honourably.	3 Instead of this, you furnished the flaming pillar which was a guide on the unknown way, and the mild sun for an honorable migration.
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.	4 For those deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned by darkness, who had kept your sons confined through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to 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 altogether in a mighty water.	5 When they determined to put to death the infants of the holy ones, and when a single boy had been cast forth but saved, As a reproof you carried off their multitude of sons and made them perish all at once in the 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.	6 That night was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage.
7 So of thy people was accepted both the salvation of the righteous, and destruction of the enemies.	7 Your people awaited the salvation of the just and the destruction of their foes.
8 For wherewith thou didst punish our adversaries, by the same thou didst glorify us, whom thou hadst called.	8 For when you punished our adversaries, in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.
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.	9 For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution, That your holy ones should share alike the same good things and dangers, having previously sung the praises of the fathers.
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.	10 But the discordant cry of their enemies responded, and the piteous wail of mourning for children was borne to them.
11 The master and the servant were punished after one manner; and like as the king, so suffered the common person.	11 And the slave was smitten with the same retribution as his master; even the plebeian suffered the same as the king.
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.	12 And all alike by a single death had countless dead; For the living were not even sufficient for the burial, since at a single instant their nobler offspring were 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.	13 For though they disbelieved at every turn on account of sorceries, at the destruction of the first-born they acknowledged that the people was God's son.
14 For while all things were in quiet silence, and that night was in the midst of her swift course,	14 For when peaceful stillness compassed everything and the night in its swift course was half spent,
15 Thine Almighty word leaped down from heaven out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war into the midst of a land of destruction,	15 Your all-powerful word from heaven's royal throne bounded, a fierce warrior, into the doomed land,
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.	16 bearing the sharp sword of your inexorable decree. And as he alighted, he filled every place with death; he still reached to heaven, while he stood upon the earth.
17 Then suddenly visions of horrible dreams troubled them sore, and terrors came upon them unlooked for.	17 Then, forthwith, visions in horrible dreams perturbed them and unexpected fears assailed them;
18 And one thrown here, and another there, half dead, shewed the cause of his death.	18 And cast half-dead, one here, another there, each was revealing the reason for his dying.
19 For the dreams that troubled them did foreshew this, lest they should perish, and not know why they were afflicted.	19 For the dreams that disturbed them had proclaimed this beforehand, lest they perish unaware of why they suffered ill.
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.	20 But the trial of death touched at one time even the just, and in the desert a plague struck the multitude; Yet not for long did the anger last.
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.	21 For the blameless man hastened to be their champion, bearing the weapon of his special office, prayer and the propitiation of incense; He withstood the wrath and put a stop to the calamity, showing that he was your servant.
22 So he overcame the destroyer, not with strength of body, nor force of arms, but with a word subdued him that punished, alleging the oaths and covenants made with the fathers.	22 And he overcame the bitterness not by bodily strength, not by force of arms; But by word he overcame the smiter, recalling the sworn covenants with their 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.	23 For when corpses had already fallen one on another in heaps, he stood in the midst and checked the anger, and cut off 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 daidem of his head.	24 For on his full-length robe was the whole world, and the glories of the fathers were carved in four rows upon the stones, and your grandeur was on the crown upon his head.
25 Unto these the destroyer gave place, and was afraid of them: for it was enough that they only tasted of the wrath.	25 To these names the destroyer yielded, and these he feared; for the mere trial of anger was enough.