Wisdom of Solomon 17

Σοφία Σολομῶντος

1 ΜΕΓΑΛΑΙ γάρ σου αἱ κρίσεις καὶ δυσδιήγητοι· διὰ τοῦτο ἀπαίδευτοι ψυχαὶ ἐπλανήθησαν.

For great are your judgements, and can’t be expressed: therefore unnurtured souls have erred.

2 ὑπειληφότες γὰρ καταδυναστεύειν ἔθνος ἅγιον ἄνομοι, δέσμιοι σκότους καὶ μακρᾶς πεδῆται νυκτὸς κατακλεισθέντες ὀρόφοις, φυγάδες τῆς αἰωνίου προνοίας ἔκειντο.

For when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation; they being shut up in their houses, the prisoners of darkness, and fettered with the bonds of a long night, lay [there] exiled from the eternal providence.

3 λανθάνειν γὰρ νομίζοντες ἐπὶ κρυφαίοις ἁμαρτήμασιν, ἀφεγγεῖ λήθης παρακαλύμματι ἐσκορπίσθησαν, θαμβούμενοι δεινῶς καὶ ἰνδάλμασιν ἐκταρασσόμενοι·

For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, being horribly astonished, and troubled with [strange] apparitions.

4 οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ κατέχων αὐτοὺς μυχὸς ἀφόβως διεφύλασσεν, ἦχοι δὲ καταράσσοντες αὐτοὺς περιεκόμπουν, καὶ φάσματα ἀμειδήτοις κατηφῆ προσώποις ἐνεφανίζετο.

For neither might the corner that held them keep them from fear: but noises [as of waters] falling down sounded about them, and sad visions appeared to them with heavy countenances.

5 καὶ πυρὸς μὲν οὐδεμία βία κατίσχυε φωτίζειν, οὔτε ἄστρων ἔκλαμπροι φλόγες καταυγάζειν ὑπέμενον τὴν στυγνὴν ἐκείνην νύκτα.

No power of the fire might give them light: neither could the bright flames of the stars endure to lighten that horrible night.

6 διεφαίνετο δ᾿ αὐτοῖς μόνον αὐτομάτη πυρὰ φόβου πλήρης, ἐκδειματούμενοι δὲ τῆς μὴ θεωρουμένης ἐκείνης ὄψεως ἡγοῦντο χείρω τὰ βλεπόμενα.

Only there appeared to them a fire kindled of itself, very dreadful: for being much terrified, they thought the things which they saw to be worse than the sight they saw not.

7 μαγικῆς δὲ ἐμπαίγματα κατέκειτο τέχνης, καὶ τῆς ἐπί φρονήσει ἀλαζονείας ἔλεγχος ἐφύβριστος·

As for the illusions of are magick, they were put down, and their vaunting in wisdom was reproved with disgrace.

8 οἱ γὰρ ὑπισχνούμενοι δείματα καὶ ταραχὰς ἀπελαύνειν ψυχῆς νοσούσης, οὗτοι καταγέλαστον εὐλάβειαν ἐνόσουν.

For they, that promised to drive away terrors and troubles from a sick soul, were sick themselves of fear, worthy to be laughed at.

9 καὶ γὰρ εἰ μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ταραχῶδες ἐφόβει, κνωδάλων παρόδοις καὶ ἑρπετῶν συριγμοῖς ἐκσεσοβημένοι, διώλλυντο ἔντρομοι καὶ τὸν μηθαμόθεν φευκτὸν ἀέρα προσιδεῖν ἀρνούμενοι.

For though no terrible thing did fear them; yet being scared with beasts that passed by, and hissing of serpents, They died for fear, denying that they saw the air, which could of no side be avoided. (verse 17:9-10 in Brenton's English)

10 δειλὸν γὰρ ἰδίως πονηρία μαρτυρεῖ καταδικαζομένη, ἀεὶ δὲ προσείληφε τὰ χαλεπὰ συνεχομένη τῇ συνειδήσει·

For wickedness, condemned by her own witness, is very timorous, and being pressed with conscience, always forecasts grievous things. (verse 11 in Brenton's English)

11 οὐθὲν γάρ ἐστι φόβος εἰ μὴ προδοσία τῶν ἀπὸ λογισμοῦ βοηθημάτων.

For fear is nothing else but a betraying of the help which reason offers. (verse 12 in Brenton's English)

12 ἔνδοθεν δὲ οὖσα ἥττων ἡ προσδοκία, πλείονα λογίζεται τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῆς παρεχούσης τὴν βάσανον αἰτίας.

And the expectation from within, being less, counts the ignorance more than the cause which brings the torment. (verse 13 in Brenton's English)

13 οἱ δὲ τὴν ἀδύνατον ὄντως νύκτα καὶ ἐξ ἀδυνάτου ᾅδου μυχῶν ἐπελθοῦσαν, τὸν αὐτὸν ὕπνον κοιμώμενοι,

But they sleeping the same sleep that night, which was indeed intolerable, and which came upon them out of the bottoms of inevitable hell, (verse 14 in Brenton's English)

14 τὰ μὲν τέρασιν ἠλαύνοντο φαντασμάτων, τὰ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς παρελύοντο προδοσίᾳ· αἰφνίδιος γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀπροσδόκητος φόβος ἐπῆλθεν.

Were partly vexed with monstrous apparitions, and partly fainted, their heart failing them: for a sudden fear, and not looked for, came upon them. (verse 15 in Brenton's English)

15 εἶθ᾿ οὕτως, ὃς δήποτ᾿ οὖν ἦν ἐκεῖ καταπίπτων, ἐφρουρεῖτο εἰς τὴν ἀσίδηρον εἱρκτὴν κατακλεισθείς·

So then whoever there fell down was straitly kept, shut up in a prison without iron bars, (verse 16 in Brenton's English)

16 εἴ τε γὰρ γεωργὸς ἦν τις ἢ ποιμὴν ἢ τῶν κατ᾿ ἐρη μίαν ἐργάτης μόχθων, προληφθεὶς τὴν δυσάλυκτον ἔμενεν ἀνάγκην,

For whether he were husbandman, or shepherd, or a labourer in the field, he was overtaken, and endured that necessity, which could not be avoided: for they were all bound with one chain of darkness. (verse 17 in Brenton's English)

17 μιᾷ γὰρ ἁλύσει σκότους πάντες ἐδέθησαν· εἴτε πνεῦμα συρίζον ἢ περὶ ἀμφιλαφεῖς κλάδους ὀρνέων ἦχος εὐμελὴς ἢ ρυθμὸς ὕδατος πορευομένου βίᾳ ἢ κτύπος ἀπηνὴς καταρριπτομένων πετρῶν,

Whether it were a whistling wind, or a melodious noise of birds amongst the spreading branches, or a pleasing fall of water running violently, (verse 18 in Brenton's English)

18 ἢ σκιρτώντων ζώων δρόμος ἀθεώρητος ἢ ὠρυομένων ἀπηνεστάτων θηρίων φωνὴ ἢ ἀντανακλωμένη ἐκ κοιλοτάτων ὀρέων ἠχώ, παρέλυεν αὐτοὺς ἐκφοβοῦντα.

Or a terrible sound of stones cast down, or a running that could not be seen of skipping beasts, or a roaring voice of most savage wild beasts, or a rebounding echo from the hollow mountains; these things made them to swoon for fear. (verse 19 in Brenton's English)

19 ὅλος γὰρ ὁ κόσμος λαμπρῷ καταλάμπετο φωτὶ καὶ ἀνεμποδίστοις συνείχετο ἔργοις·

For the whole world shined with clear light, and none were hindered in their labour: (verse 20 in Brenton's English)

20 μόνοις δὲ ἐκείνοις ἐπετέτατο βαρεῖα νύξ, εἰκὼν τοῦ μέλλοντος αὐτοὺς διαδέχεσθαι σκότους, ἑαυτοῖς δὲ ἦσαν βαρύτεροι σκότους.

Over them only was spread an heavy night, an image of that darkness which should afterward receive them: but yet were they to themselves more grievous than the darkness. (verse 21 in Brenton's English)

Greek: the Septuagint as the Orthodox Media Network published it (Mount Athos); 2 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh from Brenton's edition (1851). English: Brenton's translation (1851), its spelling updated by Michael Paul Johnson; public domain. About these texts.