Wisdom 12

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 For your imperishable spirit is in everything!	1 O how good and sweet is thy spirit, O Lord, in all things!
2 And thus, gradual y, you correct those who offend; you admonish and remind them of how they havesinned, so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you, Lord.	2 And therefore thou chastisest them that err, by little and little: and admonishest them, and speakest to them, concerning the things wherein they offend: that leaving their wickedness, they may believe in thee, O Lord.
3 The ancient inhabitants of your holy land	3 For those ancient inhabitants of thy holy land, whom thou didst abhor,
4 you hated for their loathsome practices, their acts of sorcery, and unholy rites.	4 Because they did works hateful to thee by their sorceries, and wicked sacrifices,
5 Those ruthless murderers of children, those eaters of entrails at feasts of human flesh and of blood,those initiates of secret brotherhoods,	5 And those merciless murderers of their own children, and eaters of men's bowels, and devourers of blood from the midst of thy consecration,
6 those murderous parents of defenceless beings, you determined to destroy at our ancestors' hands,	6 And those parents sacrificing with their own hands helpless souls, it was thy will to destroy by the hands of our parents,
7 so that this land, dearer to you than any other, might receive a worthy colony of God's children.	7 That the land which of all is most dear to thee might receive a worthy colony of the children of God.
8 Even so, since these were human, you treated them leniently, sending hornets as forerunners of yourarmy, to exterminate them little by little.	8 Yet even those thou sparedst as men, and didst send wasps, forerunners of thy host, to destroy them by little and little.
9 Not that you were unable to hand the godless over to the upright in pitched battle or destroy them atonce by savage beasts or one harsh word;	9 Not that thou wast unable to bring the wicked under the just by war, or by cruel beasts, or with one rough word to destroy them at once:
10 but, by carrying out your sentences gradual y, you gave them a chance to repent, although you knewthat they were inherently evil, innately wicked,	10 But executing thy judgments by degrees thou gavest them place of repentance, not being ignorant that they were a wicked generation, and their malice natural, and that their thought could never be changed.
11 and fixed in their cast of mind; for they were a race accursed from the beginning. Nor was it from aweof anyone that you let their sins go unpunished.	11 For it was a cursed seed from the beginning: neither didst thou for fear of any one give pardon to their sins.
12 For who is there to ask, 'What have you done?' Or who is there to disagree with your sentence? Whoto arraign you for destroying nations which you have created? Who to confront you by championing the wicked?	12 For who shall say to thee: What hast thou done? or who shall withstand thy judgment? or who shall come before thee to be a revenger of wicked men? or who shall accuse thee, if the nations perish, which thou hast made?
13 For there is no god, other than you, who cares for every one, to whom you have to prove that yoursentences have been just.	13 For there is no other God but thou, who hast care of all, that thou shouldst shew that thou dost not give judgment unjustly.
14 No more could any king or despot chal enge you over those whom you have punished.	14 Neither shall king, nor tyrant in thy sight inquire about them whom thou hast destroyed.
15 For, being upright yourself, you rule the universe uprightly, and hold it as incompatible with yourpower to condemn anyone who has not deserved to be punished.	15 For so much then as thou art just, thou orderest all things justly: thinking it not agreeable to thy power, to condemn him who deserveth not to be punished.
16 For your strength is the basis of your saving justice, and your sovereignty over al makes you lenientto al .	16 For thy power is the beginning of justice: and because thou art Lord of all, thou makest thyself gracious to all.
17 You show your strength when people will not believe in your absolute power, and you confound anyinsolence in those who do know it.	17 For thou shewest thy power, when men will not believe thee to be absolute in power, and thou convincest the boldness of them that know thee not.
18 But you, control ing your strength, are mild in judgement, and govern us with great lenience, for youhave only to wil , and your power is there.	18 But thou being master of power, judgest with tranquillity; and with great favour disposest of us: for thy power is at hand when thou wilt.
19 By acting thus, you have taught your people that the upright must be kindly to his fel ows, and youhave given your children the good hope that after sins you wil grant repentance.	19 But thou hast taught thy people by such works, that they must be just and humane, and hast made thy children to be of a good hope: because in judging thou givest place for repentance for sins.
20 For, if with such care and indulgence you have punished your children's enemies, though doomed todeath, and have given them time and place to be rid of their wickedness,	20 For if thou didst punish the enemies of thy servants, and that deserved to die, with so great deliberation, giving them time and place whereby they might be changed from their wickedness:
21 with what exact attention have you not judged your children, to whose ancestors, by oaths andcovenants, you made such generous promises?	21 With what circumspection hast thou judged thy own children, to whose parents thou hast sworn and made covenants of good promises?
22 Thus, you instruct us, when you punish our enemies in moderation, that we should reflect on yourkindness when we judge, and, when we are judged, we should look for mercy.	22 Therefore whereas thou chastisest us, thou scourgest our enemies very many ways, to the end that when we judge we may think on thy goodness: and when we are judged, we may hope for thy mercy.
23 And this is why people leading foolish and wicked lives were tortured by you with their ownabominations;	23 Wherefore thou hast also greatly tormented them who in their life have lived foolishly and unjustly, by the same things which they worshipped.
24 for they had strayed too far on the paths of error by taking the vilest and most despicable of animalsfor gods, being deluded like sil y little children.	24 For they went astray for a long time in the ways of error, holding those things for gods which are the most worthless among beasts, living after the manner of children without understanding.
25 So, as to children with no sense, you gave them a sentence making fools of them.	25 Therefore thou hast sent a judgment upon them as senseless children to mock them.
26 Those, however, who would not take warning from a mocking reproof were soon to endure asentence worthy of God.	26 But they that were not amended by mockeries and reprehensions, experienced the worthy judgment of God.
27 The creatures that made them suffer and against which they protested, those very creatures that theyhad taken for gods and by which they were punished they saw in their true light; and he whom hitherto they hadrefused to know, they realised was true God. And this is why the final condemnation fell on them.	27 For seeing with indignation that they suffered by those very things which they took for gods, when they were destroyed by the same, they acknowledged him the true God, whom in time past they denied that they knew: for which cause the end also of their condemnation came upon them.