1 εὐόδωσεν τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ἐν χειρὶ προφήτου ἁγίου | 1 She made their actions successful, by means of a holy prophet. |
2 διώδευσαν ἔρημον ἀοίκητον καὶ ἐν ἀβάτοις ἔπηξαν σκηνάς | 2 They journeyed through an unpeopled desert and pitched their tents in inaccessible places. |
3 ἀντέστησαν πολεμίοις καὶ ἐχθροὺς ἠμύναντο | 3 They stood firm against their enemies, fought off their foes. |
4 ἐδίψησαν καὶ ἐπεκαλέσαντό σε καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου ὕδωρ καὶ ἴαμα δίψης ἐκ λίθου σκληροῦ | 4 On you they cal ed when they were thirsty, and from the rocky cliff water was given them, from hardstone a remedy for their thirst. |
5 δι’ ὧν γὰρ ἐκολάσθησαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν διὰ τούτων αὐτοὶ ἀποροῦντες εὐεργετήθησαν | 5 Thus, what had served to punish their enemies became a benefit for them in their difficulties. |
6 ἀντὶ μὲν πηγῆς ἀενάου ποταμοῦ αἵματι λυθρώδει ταραχθέντος | 6 Whereas their enemies had only the ever-flowing source of a river fouled with mingled blood and mud, |
7 εἰς ἔλεγχον νηπιοκτόνου διατάγματος ἔδωκας αὐτοῖς δαψιλὲς ὕδωρ ἀνελπίστως | 7 to punish them for their decree of infanticide, you gave your people, against al hope, water inabundance, |
8 δείξας διὰ τοῦ τότε δίψους πῶς τοὺς ὑπεναντίους ἐκόλασας 9ὅτε γὰρ ἐπειράσθησαν καίπερ ἐν ἐλέει παιδευόμενοι ἔγνωσαν πῶς μετ’ ὀργῆς κρινόμενοι ἀσεβεῖς ἐβασανίζοντο | 8 once you had shown by the thirst that they were experiencing how severely you were punishing theirenemies. |
| 9 From their own ordeals, which were only loving correction, they realised how an angry sentence wastormenting the godless; |
10 τούτους μὲν γὰρ ὡς πατὴρ νουθετῶν ἐδοκίμασας ἐκείνους δὲ ὡς ἀπότομος βασιλεὺς καταδικάζων ἐξήτασας | 10 for you had tested your own as a father admonishes, but the others you had punished as a pitilessking condemns, |
11 καὶ ἀπόντες δὲ καὶ παρόντες ὁμοίως ἐτρύχοντο | 11 and, whether far or near, they were equal y afflicted. |
12 διπλῆ γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἔλαβεν λύπη καὶ στεναγμὸς μνημῶν τῶν παρελθόντων | 12 For a double sorrow seized on them, and a groaning at the memory of the past; |
13 ὅτε γὰρ ἤκουσαν διὰ τῶν ἰδίων κολάσεων εὐεργετημένους αὐτούς ᾔσθοντο τοῦ κυρίου | 13 when they learned that the punishments they were receiving were beneficial to the others, theyrealised it was the Lord, |
14 ὃν γὰρ ἐν ἐκθέσει πάλαι ῥιφέντα ἀπεῖπον χλευάζοντες ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν ἐκβάσεων ἐθαύμασαν οὐχ ὅμοια δικαίοις διψήσαντες | 14 while for the man whom long before they had exposed and later mockingly rebuffed, they felt onlyadmiration when al was done, having suffered a thirst so different from that of the upright. |
15 ἀντὶ δὲ λογισμῶν ἀσυνέτων ἀδικίας αὐτῶν ἐν οἷς πλανηθέντες ἐθρήσκευον ἄλογα ἑρπετὰ καὶ κνώδαλα εὐτελῆ ἐπαπέστειλας αὐτοῖς πλῆθος ἀλόγων ζῴων εἰς ἐκδίκησιν | 15 For their foolish and wicked notions which led them astray into worshipping mindless reptiles andcontemptible beetles, you sent a horde of mindless animals to punish them |
16 ἵνα γνῶσιν ὅτι δι’ ὧν τις ἁμαρτάνει διὰ τούτων κολάζεται | 16 and to teach them that the agent of sin is the agent of punishment. |
17 οὐ γὰρ ἠπόρει ἡ παντοδύναμός σου χεὶρ καὶ κτίσασα τὸν κόσμον ἐξ ἀμόρφου ὕλης ἐπιπέμψαι αὐτοῖς πλῆθος ἄρκων ἢ θρασεῖς λέοντας | 17 And indeed your al -powerful hand which created the world from formless matter, did not lack meansto unleash a horde of bears or savage lions on them |
18 ἢ νεοκτίστους θυμοῦ πλήρεις θῆρας ἀγνώστους ἤτοι πυρπνόον φυσῶντας ἄσθμα ἢ βρόμον λικμωμένους καπνοῦ ἢ δεινοὺς ἀπ’ ὀμμάτων σπινθῆρας ἀστράπτοντας | 18 or unknown beasts, newly created, ful of rage, breathing out fire, or puffing out stinking smoke, orflashing fearful sparks from their eyes, |
19 ὧν οὐ μόνον ἡ βλάβη ἠδύνατο συνεκτρῖψαι αὐτούς ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ὄψις ἐκφοβήσασα διολέσαι | 19 beasts able not only to destroy them, being so savage, but even to strike them dead by their terrifyingappearance. |
20 καὶ χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἑνὶ πνεύματι πεσεῖν ἐδύναντο ὑπὸ τῆς δίκης διωχθέντες καὶ λικμηθέντες ὑπὸ πνεύματος δυνάμεώς σου ἀλλὰ πάντα μέτρῳ καὶ ἀριθμῷ καὶ σταθμῷ διέταξας | 20 However, without these, one breath could have blown them over, pursued by Justice, whirled awayby the breath of your power. You, however, ordered all things by measure, number and weight. |
21 τὸ γὰρ μεγάλως ἰσχύειν σοι πάρεστιν πάντοτε καὶ κράτει βραχίονός σου τίς ἀντιστήσεται | 21 For your great power is always at your service, and who can withstand the might of your arm? |
22 ὅτι ὡς ῥοπὴ ἐκ πλαστίγγων ὅλος ὁ κόσμος ἐναντίον σου καὶ ὡς ῥανὶς δρόσου ὀρθρινὴ κατελθοῦσα ἐπὶ γῆν | 22 The whole world, for you, can no more than tip a balance, like a drop of morning dew falling on theground. |
23 ἐλεεῖς δὲ πάντας ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι καὶ παρορᾷς ἁμαρτήματα ἀνθρώπων εἰς μετάνοιαν | 23 Yet you are merciful to al , because you are almighty, you overlook people's sins, so that they canrepent. |
24 ἀγαπᾷς γὰρ τὰ ὄντα πάντα καὶ οὐδὲν βδελύσσῃ ὧν ἐποίησας οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν μισῶν τι κατεσκεύασας | 24 Yes, you love everything that exists, and nothing that you have made disgusts you, since, if you hadhated something, you would not have made it. |
25 πῶς δὲ διέμεινεν ἄν τι εἰ μὴ σὺ ἠθέλησας ἢ τὸ μὴ κληθὲν ὑπὸ σοῦ διετηρήθη | 25 And how could a thing subsist, had you not wil ed it? Or how be preserved, if not cal ed forth by you? |
26 φείδῃ δὲ πάντων ὅτι σά ἐστιν δέσποτα φιλόψυχε | 26 No, you spare al , since al is yours, Lord, lover of life! |