Wisdom of Solomon, 19

1. Instead, a pitiless fury raged against the wicked to the very end, for God knew beforehand what they would do:

2. that after allowing them to leave and hastening their departure, they would then pursue them.

3. While the Egyptians were still mourning at the graves of their dead, they had the mad idea of pursuing them as fugitives.

4. A well-deserved fate drove them to this extreme, making them forget what had happened and completing their punishment with further torment.

5. While your people would experience a miraculous journey, their oppressors would suffer an extraordinary death.

6. All creation in its different forms was fashioned anew at your command, in order to protect your people.

7. The cloud covered the camp with its shadow, dry land emerged where water had been. A safe passage was opened through the Red Sea, the tempestuous flood became a green plain

8. where the whole nation of those protected by your hand passed across, witnessing your astounding deeds.

9. They were like horses led to pasture, or like frolicking lambs, praising you, their Lord, who had delivered them.

10. For they still remembered what they had seen in their exile: how the earth, in place of animals, had produced mosquitoes, and rivers, instead of providing fish, produced frogs.

11. Later your people were to see a new way for birds to appear, for when they hungered for food,

12. quails came out of the sea to satisfy their need.

13. Punishment befell the sinners after they had been warned by violent thunder; deservedly they suffered for their own wickedness, for they had given proof of a most cruel hatred towards strangers.

14. Others had not welcomed unknown strangers, but the Egyptians enslaved guests who had been good to them.

15. The former will be condemned for dealing badly with strangers;

16. worse still, the Egyptians who had welcomed them with celebrations and treated them as equals, but later made them suffer cruelly.

17. For this they were afflicted with blindness like the men of Sodom who came to the door of the righteous man Lot and found themselves in utter darkness, each one groping around to find his own door.

18. The elements interchanged their qualities as on a harp the notes change their tones while retaining their own pitch. Clearly this is what happened as is shown by a scrutiny of events.

19. Creatures living on the land became aquatic and those that swam emerged on dry land.

20. Fire burned more fiercely in water when water ceased to quench.

21. On another occasion flames did not burn frail animals that passed through them nor did they melt the heavenly food that normally would have melted like frost.

22. For in every way, Lord, you have exalted and glorified your people, never disdaining them, but standing by them always and everywhere.