Wisdom

¹She directed their works in the hands of the holy prophet. ↗

²They made a path through desolate areas, which were uninhabited, and set up their homes in remote places. ↗

³They stood firm against the enemy, and vindicated themselves from their adversaries. ↗

⁴They thirsted, and they called upon you, and water was given them out of the deepest rock, and respite from thirst out of the hard stone. ↗

⁵For through water, their enemies had been punished, by the corruption of their drinking water; and so, among them, when the sons of Israel lacked the abundance they would have had, their enemies rejoiced; ↗

⁶yet through water, when they were in need, it turned out well for them. ↗

⁷For instead of a fountain, even everlasting in flow, you gave human blood to the unjust, ↗

⁸and while they would be crushed into disgrace because of the murdering of infants, you unexpectedly gave your own abundant water, ↗

⁹revealing through the thirst, which occurred at that time, how you would exalt your own and would kill their adversaries. ↗

¹⁰For when they were being tested, and even when receiving merciful correction, they knew in what way, when your wrath judged the impious, they would suffer torments. ↗

¹¹For these, advising like a father, you approved; but the others, interrogating like a severe king, you condemned. ↗

¹²For whether absent or present, they were tortured alike. ↗

¹³For they had received double: weariness and groaning in the remembrance of things past. ↗

¹⁴For when they paid attention to their punishments, to attend to their own benefit, they called to mind the Lord, admiring the end result. ↗

¹⁵For though they showed scorn by throwing out distorted statements, in the end they were amazed at the result, but this is not the same as thirsting for justice. ↗

¹⁶For according to the thinking of their irrational iniquity, because some, going astray, were worshiping mute serpents and worthless beasts, you sent upon them a multitude of mute beasts for vengeance, ↗

¹⁷so that they might know that by whatever things a man sins, by the same also is he tormented. ↗

¹⁸For it was not impossible for your all-powerful hand, which created the world from unknown material, to send forth upon them a multitude of bears, or fierce lions, ↗

¹⁹or, in anger, beasts of a new kind, massive and strange, either breathing out a fiery vapor, or sending forth an odorous smoke, or shooting horrible sparks from their eyes; ↗

²⁰whereby, not only wounds would be able to destroy them, but also the very sight would kill them through fear. ↗

²¹Yet, even without these, they could have been killed with one breath, suffering persecution of their own making and being scattered by your spirit of virtue; but you have ordered all things in size and number and weight. ↗

²²Though many are strong, you alone always overcome. And who will withstand the strength of your arm? ↗

²³For, like a tiny grain on a scale, just so is the world before you, and like a drop of dew before dawn, which descends upon the earth. ↗

²⁴But you are merciful to all, because you can do all, and you dismiss the sins of man because of repentance. ↗

²⁵For you love all things that are, and you hate nothing of the things you have made; for you would not have created or established anything that you hated. ↗

²⁶For how could anything endure, except by your will? Or what, having been called by you not to exist, would be preserved? ↗

²⁷Yet you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord, who loves souls. ↗