Scrutatio

Giovedi, 9 maggio 2024 - Beata Maria Teresa di Gesù (Carolina Gerhardinger) ( Letture di oggi)

ΣΟΦΙΑ ΣΑΛΩΜΩΝ - Sapienza - Wisdom 16


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GREEK BIBLENEW JERUSALEM
1 διὰ τοῦτο δι’ ὁμοίων ἐκολάσθησαν ἀξίως καὶ διὰ πλήθους κνωδάλων ἐβασανίσθησαν1 Thus they were appropriately punished by similar creatures and tormented by swarms of vermin.
2 ἀνθ’ ἧς κολάσεως εὐεργετήσας τὸν λαόν σου εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ὀρέξεως ξένην γεῦσιν τροφὴν ἡτοίμασας ὀρτυγομήτραν2 In contrast to this punishment, you did your people a kindness and, to satisfy their sharp appetite,provided quails -- a luscious rarity -- for them to eat.
3 ἵνα ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἐπιθυμοῦντες τροφὴν διὰ τὴν εἰδέχθειαν τῶν ἐπαπεσταλμένων καὶ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν ὄρεξιν ἀποστρέφωνται αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐπ’ ὀλίγον ἐνδεεῖς γενόμενοι καὶ ξένης μετάσχωσι γεύσεως3 Thus the Egyptians, at the repulsive sight of the creatures sent against them, were to find that, thoughthey longed for food, they had lost their natural appetite; whereas your own people, after a short privation, wereto have a rare relish for their portion.
4 ἔδει γὰρ ἐκείνοις μὲν ἀπαραίτητον ἔνδειαν ἐπελθεῖν τυραννοῦσιν τούτοις δὲ μόνον δειχθῆναι πῶς οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν ἐβασανίζοντο4 Inevitable that relentless want should seize on the former oppressors; enough for your people to beshown how their enemies were being tortured.
5 καὶ γὰρ ὅτε αὐτοῖς δεινὸς ἐπῆλθεν θηρίων θυμὸς δήγμασίν τε σκολιῶν διεφθείροντο ὄφεων οὐ μέχρι τέλους ἔμεινεν ἡ ὀργή σου5 Even when the fearful rage of wild animals overtook them and they were perishing from the bites ofwrithing snakes, your retribution did not continue to the end.
6 εἰς νουθεσίαν δὲ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐταράχθησαν σύμβολον ἔχοντες σωτηρίας εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ἐντολῆς νόμου σου6 Affliction struck them briefly, by way of warning, and they had a saving token to remind them of thecommandment of your Law,
7 ὁ γὰρ ἐπιστραφεὶς οὐ διὰ τὸ θεωρούμενον ἐσῴζετο ἀλλὰ διὰ σὲ τὸν πάντων σωτῆρα7 for whoever turned to it was saved, not by what he looked at, but by you, the Saviour of all.
8 καὶ ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ἔπεισας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ῥυόμενος ἐκ παντὸς κακοῦ 9οὓς μὲν γὰρ ἀκρίδων καὶ μυιῶν ἀπέκτεινεν δήγματα καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ἴαμα τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν ὅτι ἄξιοι ἦσαν ὑπὸ τοιούτων κολασθῆναι8 And by such means you proved to our enemies that you are the one who delivers from every evil;
9 ουκ ηλεησεν εθνος απωλειας τους εξηρμενους εν αμαρτιαις αυτων9 for them, the bites of locusts and flies proved fatal and no remedy could be found to save their lives,since they deserved to be punished by such creatures.
10 τοὺς δὲ υἱούς σου οὐδὲ ἰοβόλων δρακόντων ἐνίκησαν ὀδόντες τὸ ἔλεος γάρ σου ἀντιπαρῆλθεν καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτούς10 But your children, not even the fangs of poisonous snakes could bring them down; for your mercycame to their help and cured them.
11 εἰς γὰρ ὑπόμνησιν τῶν λογίων σου ἐνεκεντρίζοντο καὶ ὀξέως διεσῴζοντο ἵνα μὴ εἰς βαθεῖαν ἐμπεσόντες λήθην ἀπερίσπαστοι γένωνται τῆς σῆς εὐεργεσίας11 One sting -- how quickly healed!-to remind them of your pronouncements rather than that, by sinkinginto deep forgetfulness, they should be cut off from your kindness.
12 καὶ γὰρ οὔτε βοτάνη οὔτε μάλαγμα ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς ἀλλὰ ὁ σός κύριε λόγος ὁ πάντας ἰώμενος12 No herb, no poultice cured them, but your al -healing word, Lord.
13 σὺ γὰρ ζωῆς καὶ θανάτου ἐξουσίαν ἔχεις καὶ κατάγεις εἰς πύλας ᾅδου καὶ ἀνάγεις13 Yes, you are the one with power over life and death, bringing to the gates of Hades and back again.
14 ἄνθρωπος δὲ ἀποκτέννει μὲν τῇ κακίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐξελθὸν δὲ πνεῦμα οὐκ ἀναστρέφει οὐδὲ ἀναλύει ψυχὴν παραλημφθεῖσαν14 A human being out of malice may put to death, but cannot bring the departed spirit back or free thesoul that Hades has once received.
15 τὴν δὲ σὴν χεῖρα φυγεῖν ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν15 It is not possible to escape your hand.
16 ἀρνούμενοι γάρ σε εἰδέναι ἀσεβεῖς ἐν ἰσχύι βραχίονός σου ἐμαστιγώθησαν ξένοις ὑετοῖς καὶ χαλάζαις καὶ ὄμβροις διωκόμενοι ἀπαραιτήτοις καὶ πυρὶ καταναλισκόμενοι16 The godless who refused to acknowledge you were scourged by the strength of your arm, pursued byno ordinary rains, hail and unrelenting downpours, and consumed by fire.
17 τὸ γὰρ παραδοξότατον ἐν τῷ πάντα σβεννύντι ὕδατι πλεῖον ἐνήργει τὸ πῦρ ὑπέρμαχος γὰρ ὁ κόσμος ἐστὶν δικαίων17 Even more wonderful, in the water -- which quenches al -- the fire raged fiercer than ever; for theelements fight for the upright.
18 ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ ἡμεροῦτο φλόξ ἵνα μὴ καταφλέξῃ τὰ ἐπ’ ἀσεβεῖς ἀπεσταλμένα ζῷα ἀλλ’ αὐτοὶ βλέποντες εἰδῶσιν ὅτι θεοῦ κρίσει ἐλαύνονται18 At one moment, the fire would die down, to avoid consuming the animals sent against the godlessand to make clear to them by that sight, that the sentence of God was pursuing them;
19 ποτὲ δὲ καὶ μεταξὺ ὕδατος ὑπὲρ τὴν πυρὸς δύναμιν φλέγει ἵνα ἀδίκου γῆς γενήματα διαφθείρῃ19 at another, in the very heart of the water, it would burn more fiercely than fire to ruin the produce of awicked land.
20 ἀνθ’ ὧν ἀγγέλων τροφὴν ἐψώμισας τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἕτοιμον ἄρτον ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ παρέσχες αὐτοῖς ἀκοπιάτως πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν ἰσχύοντα καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἁρμόνιον γεῦσιν20 How differently with your people! You gave them the food of angels, from heaven untiringly providingthem bread already prepared, containing every delight, to satisfy every taste.
21 ἡ μὲν γὰρ ὑπόστασίς σου τὴν σὴν πρὸς τέκνα ἐνεφάνιζεν γλυκύτητα τῇ δὲ τοῦ προσφερομένου ἐπιθυμίᾳ ὑπηρετῶν πρὸς ὅ τις ἐβούλετο μετεκιρνᾶτο21 And the substance you gave showed your sweetness towards your children, for, conforming to thetaste of whoever ate it, it transformed itself into what each eater wished.
22 χιὼν δὲ καὶ κρύσταλλος ὑπέμεινε πῦρ καὶ οὐκ ἐτήκετο ἵνα γνῶσιν ὅτι τοὺς τῶν ἐχθρῶν καρποὺς κατέφθειρε πῦρ φλεγόμενον ἐν τῇ χαλάζῃ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑετοῖς διαστράπτον22 Snow and ice endured the fire, without melting; this was to show them that, to destroy the harvests oftheir enemies, fire would burn even in hail and flare in fal ing rain,
23 τοῦτο πάλιν δ’ ἵνα τραφῶσιν δίκαιοι καὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιλέλησται δυνάμεως23 whereas, on the other hand, it would even forget its own strength in the service of feeding the upright.
24 ἡ γὰρ κτίσις σοὶ τῷ ποιήσαντι ὑπηρετοῦσα ἐπιτείνεται εἰς κόλασιν κατὰ τῶν ἀδίκων καὶ ἀνίεται εἰς εὐεργεσίαν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπὶ σοὶ πεποιθότων24 For the creation, being at the service of you, its Creator, tautens to punish the wicked and slackensfor the benefit of those who trust in you.
25 διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τότε εἰς πάντα μεταλλευομένη τῇ παντοτρόφῳ σου δωρεᾷ ὑπηρέτει πρὸς τὴν τῶν δεομένων θέλησιν25 And this is why, by changing into al things, it obediently served your all-nourishing bounty,conforming to the wishes of those who were in need;
26 ἵνα μάθωσιν οἱ υἱοί σου οὓς ἠγάπησας κύριε ὅτι οὐχ αἱ γενέσεις τῶν καρπῶν τρέφουσιν ἄνθρωπον ἀλλὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου τοὺς σοὶ πιστεύοντας διατηρεῖ26 so that your beloved children, Lord, might learn that the various crops are not what providenourishment, but your word which preserves al who believe in you.
27 τὸ γὰρ ὑπὸ πυρὸς μὴ φθειρόμενον ἁπλῶς ὑπὸ βραχείας ἀκτῖνος ἡλίου θερμαινόμενον ἐτήκετο27 For that which fire could not destroy melted in the heat of a single fleeting sunbeam,
28 ὅπως γνωστὸν ᾖ ὅτι δεῖ φθάνειν τὸν ἥλιον ἐπ’ εὐχαριστίαν σου καὶ πρὸς ἀνατολὴν φωτὸς ἐντυγχάνειν σοι28 to show that, to give you thanks, we must rise before the sun and meet you at the dawning of theday;
29 ἀχαρίστου γὰρ ἐλπὶς ὡς χειμέριος πάχνη τακήσεται καὶ ῥυήσεται ὡς ὕδωρ ἄχρηστον29 whereas the hope of the ungrateful melts like winter frost and flows away like water running to waste.
30 ψυχη παντος ζωου εκαλυψεν το προσωπον αυτης και εις αυτην η αποστροφη αυτων