Wisdom 12

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 For thine incorruptible Spirit is in all things.	1 for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
2 Therefore chastenest thou them by little and little that offend, and warnest them by putting them in remembrance wherein they have offended, that leaving their wickedness they may believe on thee, O Lord.	2 Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them, and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!
3 For it was thy will to destroy by the hands of our fathers both those old inhabitants of thy holy land,	3 For truly, the ancient inhabitants of your holy land,
4 Whom thou hatedst for doing most odious works of witchcrafts, and wicked sacrifices;	4 whom you hated for deeds most odious-- Works of witchcraft and impious sacrifices;
5 And also those merciless murderers of children, and devourers of man's flesh, and the feasts of blood,	5 a cannibal feast of human flesh and of blood, from the midst of. . .-- These merciless murderers of children,
6 With their priests out of the midst of their idolatrous crew, and the parents, that killed with their own hands souls destitute of help:	6 and parents who took with their own hands defenseless lives, You willed to destroy by the hands of our fathers,
7 That the land, which thou esteemedst above all other, might receive a worthy colony of God's children.	7 that the land that is dearest of all to you might receive a worthy colony of God's children.
8 Nevertheless even those thou sparedst as men, and didst send wasps, forerunners of thine host, to destroy them by little and little.	8 But even these, as they were men, you spared, and sent wasps as forerunners of your army that they might exterminate them by degrees.
9 Not that thou wast unable to bring the ungodly under the hand of the righteous in battle, or to destroy them at once with cruel beasts, or with one rough word:	9 Not that you were without power to have the wicked vanquished in battle by the just, or wiped out at once by terrible beasts or by one decisive word;
10 But executing thy judgments upon them by little and little, thou gavest them place of repentance, not being ignorant that they were a naughty generation, and that their malice was bred in them, and that their cogitation would never be changed.	10 But condemning them bit by bit, you gave them space for repentance. You were not unaware that their race was wicked and their malice ingrained, And that their dispositions would never change;
11 For it was a cursed seed from the beginning; neither didst thou for fear of any man give them pardon for those things wherein they sinned.	11 for they were a race accursed from the beginning. Neither out of fear for anyone did you grant amnesty for their sins.
12 For who shall say, What hast thou done? or who shall withstand thy judgment? or who shall accuse thee for the nations that perish, whom thou made? or who shall come to stand against thee, to be revenged for the unrighteous men?	12 For who can say to you, "What have you done?" or who can oppose your decree? Or when peoples perish, who can challenge you, their maker; or who can come into your presence as vindicator of unjust men?
13 For neither is there any God but thou that careth for all, to whom thou mightest shew that thy judgment is not unright.	13 For neither is there any god besides you who have the care of all, that you need show you have not unjustly condemned;
14 Neither shall king or tyrant be able to set his face against thee for any whom thou hast punished.	14 Nor can any king or prince confront you on behalf of those you have punished.
15 Forsomuch then as thou art righteous thyself, thou orderest all things righteously: thinking it not agreeable with thy power to condemn him that hath not deserved to be punished.	15 But as you are just, you govern all things justly; you regard it as unworthy of your power to punish one who has incurred no blame.
16 For thy power is the beginning of righteousness, and because thou art the Lord of all, it maketh thee to be gracious unto all.	16 For your might is the source of justice; your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.
17 For when men will not believe that thou art of a full power, thou shewest thy strength, and among them that know it thou makest their boldness manifest.	17 For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved; and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.
18 But thou, mastering thy power, judgest with equity, and orderest us with great favour: for thou mayest use power when thou wilt.	18 But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for power, whenever you will, attends you.
19 But by such works hast thou taught thy people that the just man should be merciful, and hast made thy children to be of a good hope that thou givest repentance for sins.	19 And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; And you gave your sons good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.
20 For if thou didst punish the enemies of thy children, and the condemned to death, with such deliberation, giving them time and place, whereby they might be delivered from their malice:	20 For these were enemies of your servants, doomed to death; yet, while you punished them with such solicitude and pleading, granting time and opportunity to abandon wickedness,
21 With how great circumspection didst thou judge thine own sons, unto whose fathers thou hast sworn, and made covenants of good promises?	21 With what exactitude you judged your sons, to whose fathers you gave the sworn covenants of goodly promises!
22 Therefore, whereas thou dost chasten us, thou scourgest our enemies a thousand times more, to the intent that, when we judge, we should carefully think of thy goodness, and when we ourselves are judged, we should look for mercy.	22 Us, therefore, you chastise and our enemies with a thousand blows you punish, that we may think earnestly of your goodness when we judge, and, when being judged, may look for mercy.
23 Wherefore, whereas men have lived dissolutely and unrighteously, thou hast tormented them with their own abominations.	23 Hence those unjust also, who lived a life of folly, you tormented through their own abominations.
24 For they went astray very far in the ways of error, and held them for gods, which even among the beasts of their enemies were despised, being deceived, as children of no understanding.	24 For they went far astray in the paths of error, taking for gods the worthless and disgusting among beasts, deceived like senseless infants.
25 Therefore unto them, as to children without the use of reason, thou didst send a judgment to mock them.	25 Therefore as though upon unreasoning children, you sent your judgment on them as a mockery;
26 But they that would not be reformed by that correction, wherein he dallied with them, shall feel a judgment worthy of God.	26 But they who took no heed of punishment which was but child's play were to experience a condemnation worthy of God.
27 For, look, for what things they grudged, when they were punished, that is, for them whom they thought to be gods; [now] being punished in them, when they saw it, they acknowledged him to be the true God, whom before they denied to know: and therefore came extreme damnation upon them.	27 For in the things through which they suffered distress, since they were tortured by the very things they deemed gods, They saw and recognized the true God whom before they had refused to know; with this, their final condemnation came upon them.