Wisdom of Solomon 12

BrentonTherefore 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.

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

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

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

Brentonwith their priests out of the midst of their idolatrous crew, and the parents, that killed with their own hands souls destitute of help:

Brentonthat the land, which thou esteemedst above all other, might receive a worthy colony of God's children.

BrentonNot 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:

Brentonbut 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.

BrentonFor 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.

BrentonFor 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?

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

BrentonForsomuch 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.

BrentonFor thy power is the beginning of righteousness, and because thou art the Lord of all, it maketh thee to be gracious unto all.

BrentonFor 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.

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

BrentonFor 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:

Brentonwith how great circumspection didst thou judge thine own sons, unto whose fathers thou hast sworn, and made covenants of good promises?

BrentonTherefore, 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.

BrentonFor 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.

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

BrentonBut they that would not be reformed by that correction, wherein he dallied with them, shall feel a judgment worthy of God.

BrentonFor, 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.