ΣΟΦΙΑ ΣΑΛΩΜΩΝ - Sapienza - Wisdom 18

LXX	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 τοῖς δὲ ὁσίοις σου μέγιστον ἦν φῶς ὧν φωνὴν μὲν ἀκούοντες μορφὴν δὲ οὐχ ὁρῶντες ὅτι μὲν οὐ κἀκεῖνοι ἐπεπόνθεισαν ἐμακάριζον	1 But your saints were your greatest light, and they heard your voice, but did not see your form. And because they themselves did not also suffer the same things, they praised you greatly.
2 ὅτι δ’ οὐ βλάπτουσιν προηδικημένοι ηὐχαρίστουν καὶ τοῦ διενεχθῆναι χάριν ἐδέοντο	2 And those who were wounded before, gave thanks, because they were no longer being wounded, and because they had petitioned for this gift, that there would be this difference.
3 ἀνθ’ ὧν πυριφλεγῆ στῦλον ὁδηγὸν μὲν ἀγνώστου ὁδοιπορίας ἥλιον δὲ ἀβλαβῆ φιλοτίμου ξενιτείας παρέσχες	3 Because of this, they had a burning column of fire as a guide on the unknown way, and you displayed a harmless sun of a good hospitality.
4 ἄξιοι μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι στερηθῆναι φωτὸς καὶ φυλακισθῆναι σκότει οἱ κατακλείστους φυλάξαντες τοὺς υἱούς σου δι’ ὧν ἤμελλεν τὸ ἄφθαρτον νόμου φῶς τῷ αἰῶνι δίδοσθαι	4 The others, indeed, deserved to be deprived of the light and to endure a prison of darkness, who watched for an opportunity to imprison your sons, by whom the incorruptible light of the law was beginning to be given to future generations.
5 βουλευσαμένους δ’ αὐτοὺς τὰ τῶν ὁσίων ἀποκτεῖναι νήπια καὶ ἑνὸς ἐκτεθέντος τέκνου καὶ σωθέντος εἰς ἔλεγχον τὸ αὐτῶν ἀφείλω πλῆθος τέκνων καὶ ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἀπώλεσας ἐν ὕδατι σφοδρῷ	5 When they thought to kill the babes of the just, one son having been exposed and set free, to their disgrace, you took away a multitude of their sons and destroyed them all together in a mighty water.
6 ἐκείνη ἡ νὺξ προεγνώσθη πατράσιν ἡμῶν ἵνα ἀσφαλῶς εἰδότες οἷς ἐπίστευσαν ὅρκοις ἐπευθυμήσωσιν	6 For that night was known beforehand by our fathers, so that, knowing the truth of the oaths in which they had trusted, they might be more peaceful in their souls.
7 προσεδέχθη ὑπὸ λαοῦ σου σωτηρία μὲν δικαίων ἐχθρῶν δὲ ἀπώλεια	7 Yet your people received not only the salvation of the just, but also the destruction of the unjust.
8 ᾧ γὰρ ἐτιμωρήσω τοὺς ὑπεναντίους τούτῳ ἡμᾶς προσκαλεσάμενος ἐδόξασας 9κρυφῇ γὰρ ἐθυσίαζον ὅσιοι παῖδες ἀγαθῶν καὶ τὸν τῆς θειότητος νόμον ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ διέθεντο τῶν αὐτῶν ὁμοίως καὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ κινδύνων μεταλήμψεσθαι τοὺς ἁγίους πατέρων ἤδη προαναμέλποντες αἴνους	8 For just as you wounded our adversaries, so also did you greatly esteem calling us forth.
	9 For the just children of goodness were secretly offering sacrifice, and in agreement they administered the law of justice, so that both good and bad would be able to receive justice, and so that you might now approve of their chanting to the father.
10 ἀντήχει δ’ ἀσύμφωνος ἐχθρῶν ἡ βοή καὶ οἰκτρὰ διεφέρετο φωνὴ θρηνουμένων παίδων	10 On the other hand, a dissimilar voice was resounding from the enemies, and a lamentable wailing was heard for the children who were being cried over.
11 ὁμοίᾳ δὲ δίκῃ δοῦλος ἅμα δεσπότῃ κολασθεὶς καὶ δημότης βασιλεῖ τὰ αὐτὰ πάσχων	11 But the same punishment afflicted the servant with the master, and the common man endured the same as the king.
12 ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ πάντες ἐν ἑνὶ ὀνόματι θανάτου νεκροὺς εἶχον ἀναριθμήτους οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ θάψαι οἱ ζῶντες ἦσαν ἱκανοί ἐπεὶ πρὸς μίαν ῥοπὴν ἡ ἐντιμοτέρα γένεσις αὐτῶν διέφθαρτο	12 Therefore, all were the same, with one name for death, and the dead were innumerable. For neither were the living sufficient to bury the dead, because, with a single effort, their most illustrious nation was exterminated.
13 πάντα γὰρ ἀπιστοῦντες διὰ τὰς φαρμακείας ἐπὶ τῷ τῶν πρωτοτόκων ὀλέθρῳ ὡμολόγησαν θεοῦ υἱὸν λαὸν εἶναι	13 For they would not believe anything because of the drugs; then truly, at the beginning, when the extermination of the firstborn happened, they pledged the people to belong to God.
14 ἡσύχου γὰρ σιγῆς περιεχούσης τὰ πάντα καὶ νυκτὸς ἐν ἰδίῳ τάχει μεσαζούσης	14 For, when a quiet silence surrounded all things, and when the course of the night was passing the middle of its journey,
15 ὁ παντοδύναμός σου λόγος ἀπ’ οὐρανῶν ἐκ θρόνων βασιλείων ἀπότομος πολεμιστὴς εἰς μέσον τῆς ὀλεθρίας ἥλατο γῆς ξίφος ὀξὺ τὴν ἀνυπόκριτον ἐπιταγήν σου φέρων	15 your almighty word from heaven leapt down from your royal throne, as a fierce warrior in the midst of the land of extermination,
16 καὶ στὰς ἐπλήρωσεν τὰ πάντα θανάτου καὶ οὐρανοῦ μὲν ἥπτετο βεβήκει δ’ ἐπὶ γῆς	16 as a sharp sword carrying your unfeigned authority, and standing, filled all things with death, and, standing on the earth, reached all the way up to touch heaven.
17 τότε παραχρῆμα φαντασίαι μὲν ὀνείρων δεινῶν ἐξετάραξαν αὐτούς φόβοι δὲ ἐπέστησαν ἀδόκητοι	17 Then, incessant visions of nightmares disturbed them, and unexpected fears overcame them.
18 καὶ ἄλλος ἀλλαχῇ ῥιφεὶς ἡμίθνητος δι’ ἣν ἔθνῃσκον αἰτίαν ἐνεφάνιζεν	18 And another was thrown down elsewhere half-alive; and so, by means of that which was dying, the cause of death was revealed.
19 οἱ γὰρ ὄνειροι θορυβήσαντες αὐτοὺς τοῦτο προεμήνυσαν ἵνα μὴ ἀγνοοῦντες δι’ ὃ κακῶς πάσχουσιν ἀπόλωνται	19 For the visions that disturbed them had forewarned of these things, lest they should perish and not know why they suffered these evils.
20 ἥψατο δὲ καὶ δικαίων πεῖρα θανάτου καὶ θραῦσις ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἐγένετο πλήθους ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἔμεινεν ἡ ὀργή	20 Yet, at that time, the trial of death touched even the just, and there was a disturbance of the multitude in the wilderness, but your wrath did not continue for long.
21 σπεύσας γὰρ ἀνὴρ ἄμεμπτος προεμάχησεν τὸ τῆς ἰδίας λειτουργίας ὅπλον προσευχὴν καὶ θυμιάματος ἐξιλασμὸν κομίσας ἀντέστη τῷ θυμῷ καὶ πέρας ἐπέθηκε τῇ συμφορᾷ δεικνὺς ὅτι σός ἐστιν θεράπων	21 For a blameless man, prospering, is to be entreated for your people, bringing forth the shield of your service, through prayer and incense, making prayerful supplication, he withstands anger, and so establishes an end to the necessary difficulty, revealing that he is your servant.
22 ἐνίκησεν δὲ τὸν χόλον οὐκ ἰσχύι τοῦ σώματος οὐχ ὅπλων ἐνεργείᾳ ἀλλὰ λόγῳ τὸν κολάζοντα ὑπέταξεν ὅρκους πατέρων καὶ διαθήκας ὑπομνήσας	22 Yet he outlasted the disturbance, not by virtue of the body, nor by force of arms, but, with a word, he subdued those who were troubling him, commemorating the oaths and covenant of the parents.
23 σωρηδὸν γὰρ ἤδη πεπτωκότων ἐπ’ ἀλλήλων νεκρῶν μεταξὺ στὰς ἀνέκοψε τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ διέσχισεν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ζῶντας ὁδόν	23 For when they were now fallen down dead by heaps one upon another, he stood between them and cut off their attack, and he divided those who controlled the path to the living.
24 ἐπὶ γὰρ ποδήρους ἐνδύματος ἦν ὅλος ὁ κόσμος καὶ πατέρων δόξαι ἐπὶ τετραστίχου λίθων γλυφῆς καὶ μεγαλωσύνη σου ἐπὶ διαδήματος κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ	24 For, within the garment of shame which he held, the world was all together, and the great deeds of the parents were engraved on four orders of stones, and your majesty was engraved on the crown of his head.
25 τούτοις εἶξεν ὁ ὀλεθρεύων ταῦτα δὲ ἐφοβήθη ἦν γὰρ μόνη ἡ πεῖρα τῆς ὀργῆς ἱκανή	25 Yet he who was exterminating yielded even to those he frightened. For one trial of wrath was sufficient.