Wisdom 12
God's spirit corrects those who wander and sin, guiding them to abandon malice and believe in Him. The ancient inhabitants of the holy land were destroyed for their hateful works, but God was lenient, giving them a chance to repent. God's power is the beginning of justice, and He judges with tranquility, providing a place for repentance from sins. He teaches His people to be just and humane, and while disciplining them, He gives their enemies multiple scourges, so they may think on His goodness and hope for mercy.
O how good and gracious, Lord, is your spirit in all thingsTherefore, those who wander afield, you correct, and, as to those who sin, you counsel them and admonish them, so that, having abandoned malice, they may believe in you, O LordFor those ancient inhabitants of your holy land, who you abhorredbecause they were doing works hateful to you, through unjust medicines and sacrificesand the merciless murderers of their own sons, and the eaters of human entrails, and the devourers of blood apart from your community sacramentand the sellers performing the ceremonies of helpless souls, you willed to destroy by the hands of our parentsso that they might worthily secure the sojourn of the children of God, in the land which is most beloved by youYet, so that you were lenient even to these men, you sent wasps, forerunners of your army, so that you might destroy them little by littlenot because you were unable to subdue the impious under the just by war or by cruel beasts, or with a harsh word to exterminate them at oncebut, in judging by degrees, you were giving them a place of repentance, not unaware that their nation is wicked, and their malice is inherent, and that their thinking could never be changedFor this offspring was accursed from the beginning. Neither did you, fearing anyone, give favor to their sinsFor who will say to you, "What have you done?" Or who will stand against your judgment? Or who will come before you as a defender of unfair men? Or who will accuse you, if the nations perish, which you have madeFor neither is there any other God but you, who has care of all, to whom you would show that you did not give judgment unjustlyNeither will king or tyrant inquire before you about those whom you destroyedTherefore, since you are just, you order all things justly, considering it foreign to your virtue to condemn him who does not deserve to be punishedFor your power is the beginning of justice, and, because you are Lord of all, you make yourself to be lenient to allFor you reveal power to those who do not believe you to be perfect in power, and you expose the arrogance of those who do not know youYet, you are the master of power, since you judge with tranquility, and since you administer us with great reverence; for it is close to you to be used whenever you willBut you have taught your people, through such works, that they must be just and humane, and you have made your sons to be of good hope, because in judging you provide a place for repentance from sinsFor even if the enemies of your servants were deserving of death, you afflicted them with great attentiveness, providing a time and a place whereby they would be able to be changed from malicewith what diligence, then, have you judged your sons, whose parents you have given oaths and covenants in good faithTherefore, while you give us discipline, you give our enemies a multiplicity of scourges, so that in judging we may think on your goodness, and when we are judged, we may hope for mercyTherefore, also to these, who have lived their life irrationally and unjustly, through these things that they worshiped, you gave the greatest tormentsAnd, indeed, they wandered for a long time in the way of error, valuing those things as gods, which are worthless even among animals, living in foolish irrational behaviorBecause of this, you have given a judgment in derision, as if from foolish childrenBut those who have not been corrected by mockery and chiding, have experienced a judgment worthy of GodFor among those who were indignant at their sufferings, which came through those things that they reputed to be gods, when they saw that they would be destroyed by these same things, those who formerly refused knowledge of him, now acknowledged the true God, and, because of this, the end of their condemnation came upon them
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