Wisdom of Solomon 5 — Rahlfs Septuagint

στήσεται ἐν παρρησίᾳ πολλῇ ὁ δίκαιος κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν θλιψάντων αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν ἀθετούντων τοὺς πόνους αὐτοῦ

Then the righteous man will stand with much boldness before the face of those who afflicted him and those who made light of his labors.

2

ταραχθήσονται φόβῳ δεινῷ καὶ ἐκστήσονται ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τῆς σωτηρίας

Seeing this, they will be troubled with terrible fear, and they will be astonished at the unexpectedness of the salvation

3

ἐν ἑαυτοῖς μετανοοῦντες καὶ διὰ στενοχωρίαν πνεύματος στενάξονται καὶ ἐροῦσιν

They will say to themselves, repenting, and in distress of spirit they will groan, and they will say

4

This was the one whom we once held for laughter and for a proverb of reproach; the foolish considered his life madness, and his end dishonorable.

5

κατελογίσθη ἐν υἱοῖς θεοῦ καὶ ἐν ἁγίοις ὁ κλῆρος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν

How was he counted among the sons of God, and his portion is among the holy ones?

6

ἐπλανήθημεν ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης φῶς οὐκ ἐπέλαμψεν ἡμῖν καὶ ὁ ἥλιος οὐκ ἀνέτειλεν ἡμῖν

Therefore we wandered from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine upon us, and the sun did not rise for us.

7

ἐνεπλήσθημεν τρίβοις καὶ ἀπωλείας καὶ διωδεύσαμεν ἐρήμους ἀβάτους τὴν δὲ ὁδὸν κυρίου οὐκ ἐπέγνωμεν

We were filled with lawlessness in paths and of destruction, and we traversed trackless deserts, and the way of the Lord we did not know

8

ὠφέλησεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ὑπερηφανία καὶ τί πλοῦτος μετὰ ἀλαζονείας συμβέβληται ἡμῖν

What has pride profited us, and what wealth with boastfulness has come to us?

9

ἐκεῖνα πάντα ὡς σκιὰ καὶ ὡς ἀγγελία παρατρέχουσα

All those things passed by like a shadow and like a messenger running past

10

ναῦς διερχομένη κυμαινόμενον ὕδωρ ἧς διαβάσης οὐκ ἔστιν ἴχνος εὑρεῖν οὐδὲ ἀτραπὸν τρόπιος αὐτῆς ἐν κύμασιν

As a ship passing through the surging water, of which, when it has gone by, there is no track to be found nor the path of its keel in the waves

11

or as when a bird flying through the air no evidence of its course is found, but the light breeze of its wings, beaten with the blow and violently cleft by the rush of moving wings, has passed through, and after this no sign of its alighting in it was found

12

ὡς βέλους βληθέντος ἐπὶ σκοπὸν τμηθεὶς ὁ ἀὴρ εὐθέως εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνελύθη ὡς ἀγνοῆσαι τὴν δίοδον αὐτοῦ

or as the air, cut through as an arrow shot at a target, was immediately dissolved back into itself, so as to be unaware of its passage

13

καὶ ἡμεῖς γεννηθέντες ἐξελίπομεν καὶ ἀρετῆς μὲν σημεῖον οὐδὲν ἔσχομεν δεῖξαι ἐν δὲ τῇ κακίᾳ ἡμῶν κατεδαπανήθημεν

So also we, having been born, passed away, and we had nothing to show as a sign of virtue, but in our wickedness we were consumed.

14

For the hope of the ungodly is like chaff carried by the wind, and like thin frost driven away by a storm, and like smoke scattered by the wind, and like the memory of a guest of one day passing by.

15

δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζῶσιν καὶ ἐν κυρίῳ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ φροντὶς αὐτῶν παρὰ ὑψίστῳ

But the righteous live forever, and in the Lord is their reward, and their care with the Most High.

16

Therefore they shall receive the kingdom of splendor and the crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord, because with his right hand he will cover them, and with his arm he will shield them.

17

πανοπλίαν τὸν ζῆλον αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁπλοποιήσει τὴν κτίσιν εἰς ἄμυναν ἐχθρῶν

He will take his zeal as armor and will arm creation for the defense against enemies

18

θώρακα δικαιοσύνην καὶ περιθήσεται κόρυθα κρίσιν ἀνυπόκριτον

He will put on righteousness as a breastplate and will place on a helmet unfeigned judgment.

19

ἀσπίδα ἀκαταμάχητον ὁσιότητα

He will take incorruptible holiness as a shield.

20

δὲ ἀπότομον ὀργὴν εἰς ῥομφαίαν συνεκπολεμήσει δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ κόσμος ἐπὶ τοὺς παράφρονας

But wrath will sharpen a sudden sword, and the world will wage war with him against the foolish.

21

εὔστοχοι βολίδες ἀστραπῶν καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ εὐκύκλου τόξου τῶν νεφῶν ἐπὶ σκοπὸν ἁλοῦνται

Straight-flying bolts of lightning will go, and as from a well-rounded bow of the clouds they will be cast upon the target

22

ἐκ πετροβόλου θυμοῦ πλήρεις ῥιφήσονται χάλαζαι ἀγανακτήσει κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ὕδωρ θαλάσσης ποταμοὶ δὲ συγκλύσουσιν ἀποτόμως

And hailstones full of wrath will be hurled from the sling; water of the sea will rage against them, and rivers will flood them suddenly.

23

A spirit of power will stand against them, and like a whirlwind it will sift them out and will lay waste the whole earth, lawlessness, and wrongdoing will overturn the thrones of rulers.