Wisdom 19

¹But upon the impious even to the later end there came wrath without mercy. For he foreknew also the things that should come unto them:

²because when they had permitted that they should depart, and had sent them away with great diligence, they repenting pursued them.

³For having as yet mourning between their hands, and lamenting at the graves of the dead, they took to themselves another cogitation of folly: and whom by entreating they had cast forth, them they pursued as fugitives:

⁴for worthy necessity brought them to this end: and they lost the remembrance of those things which had chanced, that punishment might fulfill the things that wanted to the torments:

⁵and that thy people certes might pass through marvelously, but they might find a new death.

⁶For every creature according to his kind was fashioned again from the beginning, serving thy precepts, that thy children might be kept without hurt.

⁷For a cloud overshadowed their camp, and out of the water which was before, there appeared dry land, and in the red sea a way without impediment, and of the great depth a springing field:

⁸through the which all the nation passed, which was protected with thy hand, seeing thy marvelous things and wonders.

⁹For even as horses they fed on meat, and as lambs they rejoiced, magnifying thee o Lord, which didst deliver them.

¹⁰For they were mindful of those things, which had been done in their sojourning, how for the nation of beasts the earth brought forth flies, & for fishes the river yielded a multitude of frogs.

¹¹And last of all they saw a new creature of birds, when allured by concupiscence they desired meats of deliciousness.

¹²For in comfort of their desire, there came up to them the quail from the sea: and vexations came upon the sinners, not without those arguments, which were made before by the force of lightnings: for they suffered justly according to their wickedness.

¹³For they instituted a more detestable inhospitality: some certes received not the unknown strangers, and other-some brought the good strangers into servitude.

¹⁴And not only these things, but indeed there was another respect also of them: for they against their will received the strangers.

¹⁵But they that received them with gladness, did afflict them with most cruel sorrows, that used the same rights:

¹⁶but they were strucken with blindness: as they in the doors of the just, when they were covered with sudden darkness, every man sought the passage of his door.

¹⁷For whilst the elements are turned in themselves, as in an instrument the sound of the quality is changed, and all keep their sound: wherefore it may be certainly judged by the very sight.

¹⁸For the things of the field were turned into things of the water: and what soever were swimming things passed into the land.

¹⁹The fire had force in water above his power, and the water forgot her quenching nature.

²⁰On the contrary the flames vexed not the flesh of corruptible beasts walking therewith, neither did they melt that good meat, which was easily dissolved even as ice. For in all things thou didst magnify thy people o Lord, and didst honour them, and didst not despise them, at all time, and in every place assisting them.