1
Τὸ γὰρ ἄφθαρτόν σου πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσι.
For thine incorruptible Spirit is in all things.
2
Διὸ τοὺς παραπίπτοντας κατʼ ὀλίγον ἐλέγχεις, καὶ ἐν οἷς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ὑπομιμνήσκων νουθετεῖς, ἵνα ἀπαλλαγέντες τῆς κακίας πιστεύσωσιν ἐπὶ σὲ Κύριε.
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.
3
Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς παλαιοὺς οἰκήτορας τῆς ἁγίας σου γῆς
For it was thy will to destroy by the hands of our fathers Both those old inhabitants of thy holy land,
4
μισήσας, ἐπὶ τῷ ἔχθιστα πράσσειν ἔργα φαρμακειῶν, καὶ τελετὰς ἀνοσίους,
Whom thou hatedst for doing Most odious works of witchcrafts, and wicked sacrifices;
5
τέκνων τε φονέας ἀνελεήμονας, καὶ σπλαγχνοφάγων ἀνθρωπίνων σαρκῶν θοῖναν,
And also those merciless murderers of children, And devourers of man’s flesh, and the feasts of blood,
6
καὶ αἴματος ἐκ μέσου μυσταθείας σου, καὶ αὐθέντας γονεῖς ψυχῶν ἀβοηθήτων, ἐβουλήθης ἀπολέσαι διὰ χειρῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν·
With their priests out of the midst of their idolatrous crew, And the parents, that killed with their own hands souls destitute of help:
7
ἵνα ἀξίαν ἀποικίαν δέξηται Θεοῦ παίδων ἡ παρὰ σοὶ πασῶν τιμιωτάτη γῆ.
That the land, which thou esteemedst above all other, Might receive a worthy colony of God’s children.
8
Ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων ὡς ἀνθρώπων ἐφείσω, ἀπέστειλάς τε προδρόμους τοῦ στρατοπέδου σου σφῆκας, ἵνα αὐτοὺς καταβραχὺ ἐξολοθρεύσωσιν.
Nevertheless even those thou sparedst as men, And didst send wasps, forerunners of thy host, To destroy them by little and little.
9
Οὐκ ἀδυνατῶν ἐν παρατάξει ἀσεβεῖς δικαίοις ὑποχειρίους δοῦναι, ἢ θηρίοις δεινοῖς, ἢ λόγῳ ἀποτόμῳ ὑφʼ ἓν ἐκτρίψαι·
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:
10
κρίνων δὲ καταβραχὺ ἐδίδους τόπον μετανοίας, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν, ὅτι πονηρὰ ἡ γένεσις αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔμφυτος ἡ κακία αὐτῶν, καὶ ὅτι οὐ μὴ ἀλλαγῇ ὁ λογισμὸς αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·
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.
11
σπέρμα γὰρ ἦν κατηραμένον ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς· οὐδὲ εὐλαβούμενός τινα, ἐφʼ οἷς ἡμάρτανον ἄδειαν ἐδίδους.
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.
12
Τίς γὰρ ἐρεῖ, τί ἐποίησας; ἢ τίς ἀντιστήσεται τῷ κρίματί σου; τίς δὲ ἐγκαλέσει σοι κατὰ ἐθνῶν ἀπολωλότων, ἃ σὺ ἐποίησας; ἢ τίς εἰς κατάστασίν σοι ἐλεύσεται ἔκδικος κατὰ ἀδίκων ἀνθρώπων;
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 hast made? Or who shall come to stand against thee, to be revenged for the unrighteous men?
13
Οὔτε γὰρ Θεός ἐστι πλὴν σοῦ, ᾧ μέλει περὶ πάντων, ἵνα δείξῃς ὅτι οὐκ ἀδίκως ἔκρινας.
For neither is there any God but thou that careth for all, To whom thou mightest show that thy judgment is not unright.
14
Οὔτε βασιλεὺς ἢ τύραννος ἀντοφθαλμῆσαι δυνήσεταί σοι περὶ ὧν ἀπώλεσας.
Neither shall king or tyrant be able to set his face against thee for any whom thou hast punished.
15
Δίκαιος δὲ ὢν δικαίως τὰ πάντα διέπεις, αὐτὸν τὸν μὴ ὀφείλοντα κολασθῆναι καταδικάσαι ἀλλότριαν ἡγούμενος τῆς σῆς δυνάμεως.
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.
16
Ἡ γὰρ ἰσχύς σου δικαιοσύνης ἀρχὴ, καὶ τὸ πάντων σε δεσπόζειν, πάντων φείδεσθαι ποιεῖ.
For thy power is the beginning of righteousness, And because thou art the Lord of all, it maketh thee to be gracious unto all.
17
Ἰσχὺν γὰρ ἐνδείκνυσαι ἀπιστούμενος ἐπὶ δυνάμεως τελειότητι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς εἰδόσι τὸ θράσος ἐξελέγχεις.
For when men will not believe that thou art of a full power, thou showest thy strength, And among them that know it thou makest their boldness manifest.
18
Σὺ δὲ δεσπόζεν ἰσχύος ἐν ἐπιεικείᾳ κρίνεις καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς φειδοῦς διοικεῖς ἡμᾶς· πάρεστι γάρ σοι ὅταν θέλῃς τὸ δύνασθαι.
But thou, mastering thy power, judgest with equity, And orderest us with great favor: For thou mayest use power when thou wilt.
19
Ἐδίδαξας δέ σου τὸν λαὸν διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἔργων, ὅτι δεῖ τὸν δίκαιον εἶναι φιλάνθρωπον· καὶ εὐέλπιδας ἐποίησας τοὺς υἱούς σου, ὅτι δίδως ἑπὶ ἁμαρτήμασι μετάνοιαν.
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.
20
Εἰ γὰρ ἐχθροὺς παίδων σου καὶ ὀφειλομένους θανάτῳ μετὰ τοσαύτης ἐτιμώρησας προσοχῆς καὶ δεήσεως, δοὺς χρόνους καὶ τόπον διʼ ὧν ἀπαλλαγῶσι τῆς κακίας·
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:
21
μετὰ πόσης ἀκριβείας ἔκρινας τοὺς υἱούς σου ὧν τοῖς πατράσιν ὅρκους καὶ συνθήκας ἔδωκας ἀγαθῶν ὑποσχέσεων;
With how great circumspection didst thou judge thine own sons, Unto whose fathers thou hast sworn, and made covenants of good promises?
22
Ἡμᾶς οὖν παιδεύων, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν ἐν μυριότητι μαστιγοῖς, ἵνα σου τὴν ἀγαθότητα μεριμνῶμεν κρίνοντες, κρινόμενοι δὲ προσδοκῶμει ἔλεος.
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.
23
Ὅθεν καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ ζωῆς βιώσαντας ἀδίκους, διὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἐβασάνισας βδελυγμάτων.
Wherefore, whereas men have lived dissolutely and unrighteously, Thou hast tormented them with their own abominations.
24
Καὶ γὰρ τῶν πλάνης ὁδῶν μακρότερον ἐπλανήθησαν, θεοὺς ὑπολαμβάνοντες τὰ καὶ ἐν ζώοις τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἄτιμα, νηπίων δίκην ἀφρόνων ψευσθέντες.
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.
25
Διὰ τοῦτο ὡς παισὶν ἀλογίστοις τὴν κρίσιν εἰς ἐμπαιγμὸν ἔπεμψας.
Therefore unto them, as to children without the use of reason, Thou didst send a judgment to mock them.
26
Οἱ δὲ παιγνίοις ἐπιτιμήσεως μὴ νουθετηθέντες, ἀξίαν Θεοῦ κρίσιν πειράσουσιν.
But they that would not be reformed by that correction, wherein he dallied with them, Shall feel a judgment worthy of God.
27
Ἐφʼ οἷς γὰρ αὐτοὶ πάσχοντες ἠγανάκτουν, ἐπὶ τούτοις οὓς ἐδόκουν θεοὺς, ἐν αὐτοῖς κολαζόμενοι, ἰδόντες ὃν πάλαι ἠρνοῦντο εἰδέναι, Θεὸν ἐπέγνωσαν ἀληθῆ· διὸ καὶ τὸ τέρμα τῆς καταδίκης ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἐπῆλθε.
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.