Apo

1 For thine incorruptible 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.

3 For it was thy will to destroy by the hands of our fathers both those old inhabitants of thy holy land,

4 Whom thou hatedst for doing most odious works of witchcrafts, and wicked sacrifices;

5 And also those merciless murderers of children, and devourers of man's flesh, and the feasts of blood,

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:

7 That the land, which thou esteemedst above all other, 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.

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:

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.

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.

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?

13 For neither is there any God but thou that careth for all, to whom thou mightest shew that thy judgment is not unright.

14 Neither shall king or tyrant be able to set his face against thee for any whom thou hast 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.

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.

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.

18 But thou, mastering thy power, judgest with equity, and orderest us with great favour: for thou mayest use power when thou wilt.

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.

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:

21 With how great circumspection didst thou judge thine own sons, unto whose fathers thou hast sworn, and made covenants of good 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.

23 Wherefore, whereas men have lived dissolutely and unrighteously, thou hast tormented them with 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.

25 Therefore unto them, as to children without the use of reason, thou didst send a judgment to mock them.

26 But they that would not be reformed by that correction, wherein he dallied with them, shall feel a judgment 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.

Sep

1 τὸ γὰρ ἄφθαρτόν σου πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσιν

2 διὸ τοὺς παραπίπτοντας κατ᾽ ὀλίγον ἐλέγχεις καὶ ἐν οἷς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ὑπομιμνῄσκων νουθετεῖς ἵνα ἀπαλλαγέντες τῆς κακίας πιστεύσωσιν ἐπὶ σέ κύριε

3 καὶ γὰρ τοὺς πάλαι οἰκήτορας τῆς ἁγίας σου γῆς

4 μισήσας ἐπὶ τῷ ἔχθιστα πράσσειν ἔργα φαρμακειῶν καὶ τελετὰς ἀνοσίους

5 τέκνων τε φονὰς ἀνελεήμονας καὶ σπλαγχνοφάγον ἀνθρωπίνων σαρκῶν θοῖναν καὶ αἵματος ἐκ μέσου μύστας θιάσου

6 καὶ αὐθέντας γονεῖς ψυχῶν ἀβοηθήτων ἐβουλήθης ἀπολέσαι διὰ χειρῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν

7 ἵνα ἀξίαν ἀποικίαν δέξηται θεοῦ παίδων ἡ παρὰ σοὶ πασῶν τιμιωτάτη γῆ

8 ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων ὡς ἀνθρώπων ἐφείσω ἀπέστειλάς τε προδρόμους τοῦ στρατοπέδου σου σφῆκας ἵνα αὐτοὺς κατὰ βραχὺ ἐξολεθρεύσωσιν

9 οὐκ ἀδυνατῶν ἐν παρατάξει ἀσεβεῖς δικαίοις ὑποχειρίους δοῦναι ἢ θηρίοις δεινοῖς ἢ λόγῳ ἀποτόμῳ ὑφ᾽ ἓν ἐκτρῖψαι

10 κρίνων δὲ κατὰ βραχὺ 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

11 σπέρμα γὰρ ἦν κατηραμένον ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς οὐδὲ εὐλαβούμενός τινα ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἡμάρτανον ἄδειαν ἐδίδους

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

13 οὔτε γὰρ θεός ἐστιν πλὴν σοῦ ᾧ μέλει περὶ πάντων ἵνα δείξῃς ὅτι οὐκ ἀδίκως ἔκρινας

14 οὔτε βασιλεὺς ἢ τύραννος ἀντοφθαλμῆσαι δυνήσεταί σοι περὶ ὧν ἐκόλασας

15 δίκαιος δὲ ὢν δικαίως τὰ πάντα διέπεις αὐτὸν τὸν μὴ ὀφείλοντα κολασθῆναι καταδικάσαι ἀλλότριον ἡγούμενος τῆς σῆς δυνάμεως

16 ἡ γὰρ ἰσχύς σου δικαιοσύνης ἀρχή καὶ τὸ πάντων σε δεσπόζειν πάντων φείδεσθαί σε ποιεῖ

17 ἰσχὺν γὰρ ἐνδείκνυσαι ἀπιστούμενος ἐπὶ δυνάμεως τελειότητι καὶ ἐν τοῖς εἰδόσι τὸ θράσος ἐξελέγχεις

18 σὺ δὲ δεσπόζων ἰσχύος ἐν ἐπιεικείᾳ κρίνεις καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς φειδοῦς διοικεῖς ἡμᾶς πάρεστιν γάρ σοι ὅταν θέλῃς τὸ δύνασθαι

19 ἐδίδαξας δέ σου τὸν λαὸν διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἔργων ὅτι δεῖ τὸν δίκαιον εἶναι φιλάνθρωπον καὶ εὐέλπιδας ἐποίησας τοὺς υἱούς σου ὅτι διδοῖς ἐπὶ ἁμαρτήμασιν μετάνοιαν

20 εἰ γὰρ ἐχθροὺς παίδων σου καὶ ὀφειλομένους θανάτῳ μετὰ τοσαύτης ἐτιμωρήσω προσοχῆς καὶ διέσεως δοὺς χρόνους καὶ τόπον δι᾽ ὧν ἀπαλλαγῶσι τῆς κακίας

21 μετὰ πόσης ἀκριβείας ἔκρινας τοὺς υἱούς σου ὧν τοῖς πατράσιν ὅρκους καὶ συνθήκας ἔδωκας ἀγαθῶν ὑποσχέσεων

22 ἡμᾶς οὖν παιδεύων τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν ἐν μυριότητι μαστιγοῖς ἵνα σου τὴν ἀγαθότητα μεριμνῶμεν κρίνοντες κρινόμενοι δὲ προσδοκῶμεν ἔλεος

23 ὅθεν καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ ζωῆς βιώσαντας ἀδίκως διὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἐβασάνισας βδελυγμάτων

24 καὶ γὰρ τῶν πλάνης ὁδῶν μακρότερον ἐπλανήθησαν θεοὺς ὑπολαμβάνοντες τὰ καὶ ἐν ζῴοις τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἄτιμα νηπίων δίκην ἀφρόνων ψευσθέντες

25 διὰ τοῦτο ὡς παισὶν ἀλογίστοις τὴν κρίσιν εἰς ἐμπαιγμὸν ἔπεμψας

26 οἱ δὲ παιγνίοις ἐπιτιμήσεως μὴ νουθετηθέντες ἀξίαν θεοῦ κρίσιν πειράσουσιν

27 ἐφ᾽ οἷς γὰρ αὐτοὶ πάσχοντες ἠγανάκτουν ἐπὶ τούτοις οὓς ἐδόκουν θεούς ἐν αὐτοῖς κολαζόμενοι ἰδόντες ὃν πάλαι ἠρνοῦντο εἰδέναι θεὸν ἐπέγνωσαν ἀληθῆ διὸ καὶ τὸ τέρμα τῆς καταδίκης ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἐπῆλθεν

Vul

1 [O quam bonus et suavis est, Domine, spiritus tuus in omnibus!

2 Ideoque eos qui exerrant partibus corripis,
et de quibus peccant admones et alloqueris,
ut relicta malitia credant in te, Domine.]

3 [Illos enim antiquos inhabitatores terræ sanctæ tuæ,
quos exhorruisti,

4 quoniam odibilia opera tibi faciebant
per medicamina et sacrificia injusta,

5 et filiorum suorum necatores sine misericordia,
et comestores viscerum hominum,
et devoratores sanguinis a medio sacramento tuo,

6 et auctores parentes animarum inauxiliatarum,
perdere voluisti per manus parentum nostrorum:

7 ut dignam perciperent peregrinationem puerorum Dei,
quæ tibi omnium carior est terra.

8 Sed et his tamquam hominibus pepercisti,
et misisti antecessores exercitus tui vespas,
ut illos paulatim exterminarent.

9 Non quia impotens eras in bello subjicere impios justis,
aut bestiis sævis, aut verbo duro simul exterminare:

10 sed partibus judicans,
dabas locum pœnitentiæ,
non ignorans quoniam nequam est natio eorum,
et naturalis malitia ipsorum,
et quoniam non poterat mutari cogitatio illorum in perpetuum.

11 Semen enim erat maledictum ab initio;
nec timens aliquem, veniam dabas peccatis illorum.

12 Quis enim dicet tibi: Quid fecisti?
aut quis stabit contra judicium tuum?
aut quis in conspectu tuo veniet vindex iniquorum hominum?
aut quis tibi imputabit, si perierint nationes quas tu fecisti?

13 Non enim est alius deus quam tu,
cui cura est de omnibus,
ut ostendas quoniam non injuste judicas judicium.

14 Neque rex, neque tyrannus in conspectu tuo inquirent
de his quos perdidisti.

15 Cum ergo sis justus, juste omnia disponis;
ipsum quoque qui non debet puniri, condemnare,
exterum æstimas a tua virtute.

16 Virtus enim tua justitiæ initium est,
et ob hoc quod Dominus es,
omnibus te parcere facis.

17 Virtutem enim ostendis tu,
qui non crederis esse in virtute consummatus,
et horum qui te nesciunt audaciam traducis.

18 Tu autem dominator virtutis, cum tranquillitate judicas,
et cum magna reverentia disponis nos:
subest enim tibi, cum volueris posse.]

19 [Docuisti autem populum tuum per talia opera,
quoniam oportet justum esse et humanum;
et bonæ spei fecisti filios tuos,
quoniam judicans das locum in peccatis pœnitentiæ.

20 Si enim inimicos servorum tuorum, et debitos morti,
cum tanta cruciasti attentione,
dans tempus et locum per quæ possent mutari a malitia:

21 cum quanta diligentia judicasti filios tuos,
quorum parentibus juramenta et conventiones dedisti bonarum promissionum!

22 Cum ergo das nobis disciplinam,
inimicos nostros multipliciter flagellas,
ut bonitatem tuam cogitemus judicantes,
et cum de nobis judicatur, speremus misericordiam tuam.

23 Unde et illis qui in vita sua insensate et injuste vixerunt,
per hæc quæ coluerunt dedisti summa tormenta.

24 Etenim in erroris via diutius erraverunt,
deos æstimantes hæc quæ in animalibus sunt supervacua,
infantium insensatorum more viventes.

25 Propter hoc tamquam pueris insensatis judicium in derisum dedisti.

26 Qui autem ludibriis et increpationibus non sunt correcti,
dignum Dei judicium experti sunt.

27 In quibus enim patientes indignabantur
per hæc quos putabant deos,
in ipsis cum exterminarentur videntes,
illum quem olim negabant se nosse, verum Deum agnoverunt;
propter quod et finis condemnationis eorum venit super illos.]