Wis 12

1 For your incorruptible Spirit is in all things. 2 Therefore chasten you them by little and little that offend, and warn them by puttingthem in remembrance wherein they have offended, that leaving their wickedness they may believe on you,O Lord. 3 For it was your will to destroy by the hands of our fathers both those old inhabitantsof your holy land, 4 Whom you hated 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 thefeasts of blood, 6 With their priests out of the midst of their idolatrous crew, and the parents, that killedwith their own hands souls destitute of help: 7 That the land, which you esteemed above all other, might receive a worthy colony of God'schildren. 8 Nevertheless even those you spared as men, and did send wasps, forerunners of your host,to destroy them by little and little. 9 Not that you were 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 your judgments upon them by little and little, you gave them place of repentance,not being ignorant that they were a naughty generation, and that their malice was bred in them, and thattheir cogitation would never be changed. 11 For it was a cursed seed from the beginning; neither did you for fear of any man givethem pardon for those things wherein they sinned. 12 For who shall say, What have you done? or who shall withstand your judgment? or who shallaccuse you for the nations that perish, whom you made? or who shall come to stand against you, to be revengedfor the unrighteous men? 13 For neither is there any God but you that careth for all, to whom you might show thatyour judgment is not unright. 14 Neither shall king or tyrant be able to set his face against you for any whom you havepunished. 15 Forsomuch then as you are righteous yourself, you order all things righteously: thinkingit not agreeable with your power to condemn him that has not deserved to be punished. 16 For your power is the beginning of righteousness, and because you are the Lord of all,it makes you to be gracious to all. 17 For when men will not believe that you are of a full power, you show your strength, andamong them that know it you make their boldness manifest. 18 But you, mastering your power, judge with equity, and order us with great favor: foryou may use power when you will. 19 But by such works have you taught your people that the just man should be merciful, andhave made your children to be of a good hope that you give repentance for sins. 20 For if you did punish the enemies of your children, and the condemned to death, withsuch deliberation, giving them time and place, whereby they might be delivered from their malice: 21 With how great circumspection did you judge your own sons, to whose fathers you havesworn, and made covenants of good promises? 22 Therefore, whereas you do chasten us, you scourge our enemies a thousand times more,to the intent that, when we judge, we should carefully think of your goodness, and when we ourselves arejudged, we should look for mercy. 23 Wherefore, whereas men have lived dissolutely and unrighteously, you have tormented themwith their own abominations. 24 For they went astray very far in the ways of error, and held them for gods, which evenamong the beasts of their enemies were despised, being deceived, as children of no understanding. 25 Therefore to them, as to children without the use of reason, you did send a judgmentto 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 whomthey thought to be gods;now being punished in them, when they saw it, they acknowledged him to be the true God, whombefore they denied to know: and therefore came extreme damnation upon them.