ΣΟΦΙΑ ΣΑΛΩΜΩΝ - Sapienza - Wisdom 5

LXX	NEW JERUSALEM
1 τότε στήσεται ἐν παρρησίᾳ πολλῇ ὁ δίκαιος κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν θλιψάντων αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν ἀθετούντων τοὺς πόνους αὐτοῦ	1 Then the upright will stand up boldly to face those who had oppressed him and had thought so little of his sufferings.
2 ἰδόντες ταραχθήσονται φόβῳ δεινῷ καὶ ἐκστήσονται ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τῆς σωτηρίας	2 And, seeing him, they wil be seized with terrible fear, amazed that he should have been sounexpectedly saved.
3 ἐροῦσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς μετανοοῦντες καὶ διὰ στενοχωρίαν πνεύματος στενάξονται καὶ ἐροῦσιν	3 Stricken with remorse, they wil say to one another with groans and labouring breath,
4 οὗτος ἦν ὃν ἔσχομέν ποτε εἰς γέλωτα καὶ εἰς παραβολὴν ὀνειδισμοῦ οἱ ἄφρονες τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ ἐλογισάμεθα μανίαν καὶ τὴν τελευτὴν αὐτοῦ ἄτιμον	4 'This is the one whom we used to mock, making him the butt of our insults, fools that we were! His lifewe regarded as madness, his ending as without honour.
5 πῶς κατελογίσθη ἐν υἱοῖς θεοῦ καὶ ἐν ἁγίοις ὁ κλῆρος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν	5 How has he come to be counted as one of the children of God and to have his lot among the holy ones?
6 ἄρα ἐπλανήθημεν ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης φῶς οὐκ ἐπέλαμψεν ἡμῖν καὶ ὁ ἥλιος οὐκ ἀνέτειλεν ἡμῖν	6 Clearly we have strayed from the way of truth; the light of justice has not shone for us, the sun has notrisen for us.
7 ἀνομίας ἐνεπλήσθημεν τρίβοις καὶ ἀπωλείας καὶ διωδεύσαμεν ἐρήμους ἀβάτους τὴν δὲ ὁδὸν κυρίου οὐκ ἐπέγνωμεν	7 We have left no path of lawlessness or ruin unexplored, we have crossed deserts where there was notrack, but the way of the Lord is one we have never known.
8 τί ὠφέλησεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ὑπερηφανία καὶ τί πλοῦτος μετὰ ἀλαζονείας συμβέβληται ἡμῖν	8 What good has arrogance been to us? What has been the purpose of our riches and boastfulness?
9 παρῆλθεν ἐκεῖνα πάντα ὡς σκιὰ καὶ ὡς ἀγγελία παρατρέχουσα	9 Al those things have passed like a shadow, passed like a fleeting rumour.
10 ὡς ναῦς διερχομένη κυμαινόμενον ὕδωρ ἧς διαβάσης οὐκ ἔστιν ἴχνος εὑρεῖν οὐδὲ ἀτραπὸν τρόπιος αὐτῆς ἐν κύμασιν	10 Like a ship that cuts through heaving waves -- leaving no trace to show where it has passed, no wakefrom its keel in the waves.
11 ἢ ὡς ὀρνέου διιπτάντος ἀέρα οὐθὲν εὑρίσκεται τεκμήριον πορείας πληγῇ δὲ μαστιζόμενον ταρσῶν πνεῦμα κοῦφον καὶ σχιζόμενον βίᾳ ῥοίζου κινουμένων πτερύγων διωδεύθη καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο οὐχ εὑρέθη σημεῖον ἐπιβάσεως ἐν αὐτῷ	11 Or like a bird flying through the air -- leaving no proof of its passing; it whips the light air with the strokeof its pinions, tears it apart in its whirring rush, drives its way onward with sweeping wing, and afterwards no signis seen of its passage.
12 ἢ ὡς βέλους βληθέντος ἐπὶ σκοπὸν τμηθεὶς ὁ ἀὴρ εὐθέως εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνελύθη ὡς ἀγνοῆσαι τὴν δίοδον αὐτοῦ	12 Or like an arrow shot at a mark, the pierced air closing so quickly on itself, there is no knowing whichway the arrow has passed.
13 οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς γεννηθέντες ἐξελίπομεν καὶ ἀρετῆς μὲν σημεῖον οὐδὲν ἔσχομεν δεῖξαι ἐν δὲ τῇ κακίᾳ ἡμῶν κατεδαπανήθημεν	13 So with us: scarcely born, we disappear; of virtue not a trace have we to show, we have spentourselves in our own wickedness!'
14 ὅτι ἐλπὶς ἀσεβοῦς ὡς φερόμενος χνοῦς ὑπὸ ἀνέμου καὶ ὡς πάχνη ὑπὸ λαίλαπος διωχθεῖσα λεπτὴ καὶ ὡς καπνὸς ὑπὸ ἀνέμου διεχύθη καὶ ὡς μνεία καταλύτου μονοημέρου παρώδευσεν	14 For the hope of the godless is like chaff carried on the wind, like fine spray driven by the storm; itdisperses like smoke before the wind, goes away like the memory of a one-day guest.
15 δίκαιοι δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζῶσιν καὶ ἐν κυρίῳ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ φροντὶς αὐτῶν παρὰ ὑψίστῳ	15 But the upright live for ever, their recompense is with the Lord, and the Most High takes care of them.
16 διὰ τοῦτο λήμψονται τὸ βασίλειον τῆς εὐπρεπείας καὶ τὸ διάδημα τοῦ κάλλους ἐκ χειρὸς κυρίου ὅτι τῇ δεξιᾷ σκεπάσει αὐτοὺς καὶ τῷ βραχίονι ὑπερασπιεῖ αὐτῶν	16 So they wil receive the glorious crown and the diadem of beauty from the Lord's hand; for he wilshelter them with his right hand and with his arm he wil shield them.
17 λήμψεται πανοπλίαν τὸν ζῆλον αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁπλοποιήσει τὴν κτίσιν εἰς ἄμυναν ἐχθρῶν	17 For armour he will take his jealous love, he wil arm creation to punish his enemies;
18 ἐνδύσεται θώρακα δικαιοσύνην καὶ περιθήσεται κόρυθα κρίσιν ἀνυπόκριτον	18 he wil put on justice as a breastplate, and for helmet wear his forthright judgement;
19 λήμψεται ἀσπίδα ἀκαταμάχητον ὁσιότητα	19 he wil take up invincible holiness for shield,
20 ὀξυνεῖ δὲ ἀπότομον ὀργὴν εἰς ῥομφαίαν συνεκπολεμήσει δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ κόσμος ἐπὶ τοὺς παράφρονας	20 of his pitiless wrath he will forge a sword, and the universe wil march with him to fight the reckless.
21 πορεύσονται εὔστοχοι βολίδες ἀστραπῶν καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ εὐκύκλου τόξου τῶν νεφῶν ἐπὶ σκοπὸν ἁλοῦνται	21 Bolts truly aimed, the shafts of lightning wil leap, and from the clouds, as from a ful -drawn bow, fly totheir mark;
22 καὶ ἐκ πετροβόλου θυμοῦ πλήρεις ῥιφήσονται χάλαζαι ἀγανακτήσει κατ’ αὐτῶν ὕδωρ θαλάσσης ποταμοὶ δὲ συγκλύσουσιν ἀποτόμως	22 and the catapult wil hurl hailstones charged with fury. The waters of the sea wil rage against them,the rivers engulf them without pity,
23 ἀντιστήσεται αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα δυνάμεως καὶ ὡς λαῖλαψ ἐκλικμήσει αὐτούς καὶ ἐρημώσει πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἀνομία καὶ ἡ κακοπραγία περιτρέψει θρόνους δυναστῶν	23 a mighty gale wil rise against them and winnow them like a hurricane. Thus wickedness wil lay thewhole earth waste and evil-doing bring down the thrones of the mighty.