Wisdom of Solomon, 18

1. Nevertheless thy saints had a very great light, whose voice they hearing, and not seeing their shape, because they also had not suffered the same things, they counted them happy.

1. Meanwhile, for your holy ones there was great light. The Egyptians heard their voice without seeing them; they called them fortunate because they had not suffered;

2. But for that they did not hurt them now, of whom they had been wronged before, they thanked them, and besought them pardon for that they had been enemies.

2. they also thanked them, for in spite of the injustice done to them they had not retaliated, and asked their pardon for previous wrongs.

3. Instead whereof thou gavest them a burning pillar of fire, both to be a guide of the unknown journey, and an harmless sun to entertain them honourably.

3. In contrast to this darkness, you gave your holy people a pillar of fire as a guide in their unmapped journey, as a mild sun during their glorious migration.

4. For they were worthy to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness, who had kept thy sons shut up, by whom the uncorrupt light of the law was to be given unto the world.

4. The enemy deserved to be without light and imprisoned in darkness for having imprisoned your sons, the people through whom the imperishable light of your laws would be given to the world.

5. And when they had determined to slay the babes of the saints, one child being cast forth, and saved, to reprove them, thou tookest away the multitude of their children, and destroyedst them altogether in a mighty water.

5. They had intended to kill the infants of your holy people - and of those exposed only one child was saved. Because of that you retaliated by doing away with a multitude of their sons who perished together in the raging sea.

6. Of that night were our fathers certified afore, that assuredly knowing unto what oaths they had given credence, they might afterwards be of good cheer.

6. That night had been foretold to our fathers, and knowing in what promise they trusted, they could rejoice in all surety.

7. So of thy people was accepted both the salvation of the righteous, and destruction of the enemies.

7. Your people waited for both the salvation of the just and the downfall of their enemies,

8. For wherewith thou didst punish our adversaries, by the same thou didst glorify us, whom thou hadst called.

8. for the very punishment of our enemies brought glory to the people you have called - that is, to us.

9. For the righteous children of good men did sacrifice secretly, and with one consent made a holy law, that the saints should be like partakers of the same good and evil, the fathers now singing out the songs of praise.

9. The holy race secretly offered the Passover sacrifice and really agreed on this worthy pact: that they would share alike both blessings and dangers. And forthwith they began to sing the hymns of their fathers.

10. But on the other side there sounded an ill according cry of the enemies, and a lamentable noise was carried abroad for children that were bewailed.

10. Then came discordant echoes from their enemies: plaintive voices mourning their children.

11. The master and the servant were punished after one manner; and like as the king, so suffered the common person.

11. The same sentence struck slave and master alike; the common man and the king endured equal suffering.

12. So they all together had innumerable dead with one kind of death; neither were the living sufficient to bury them: for in one moment the noblest offspring of them was destroyed.

12. They mourned together for innumerable victims, all stricken with the same kind of death. The living were not enough to bury them, for the flower of their race had perished in an instant.

13. For whereas they would not believe any thing by reason of the enchantments; upon the destruction of the firstborn, they acknowledged this people to be the sons of God.

13. Although sorcery had turned them into unbelievers, after the death of their firstborn they acknowledged that your people were the children of God.

14. For while all things were in quiet silence, and that night was in the midst of her swift course,

14. While all was in quiet silence and the night was in the middle of its course,

15. Thine Almighty word leaped down from heaven out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war into the midst of a land of destruction,

15. your almighty Word leapt down from the Royal Throne - a stern warrior to a doomed world.

16. And brought thine unfeigned commandment as a sharp sword, and standing up filled all things with death; and it touched the heaven, but it stood upon the earth.

16. Carrying your fearful command like a sharpened sword and stretching from heaven to earth, he filled the universe with death.

17. Then suddenly visions of horrible dreams troubled them sore, and terrors came upon them unlooked for.

17. Immediately they were overwhelmed with terrible dreams and hallucinations and assailed by sudden fears.

18. And one thrown here, and another there, half dead, shewed the cause of his death.

18. Thrown half-dead, some here and some there, they made known why they were dying,

19. For the dreams that troubled them did foreshew this, lest they should perish, and not know why they were afflicted.

19. for the dreams that had troubled them had also instructed them, lest they perish without knowing the reason for their misfortune.

20. Yea, the tasting of death touched the righteous also, and there was a destruction of the multitude in the wilderness: but the wrath endured not long.

20. Indeed the righteous, too, experienced death when a scourge struck a great number of them in the desert, but God's anger was short-lived.

21. For then the blameless man made haste, and stood forth to defend them; and bringing the shield of his proper ministry, even prayer, and the propitiation of incense, set himself against the wrath, and so brought the calamity to an end, declaring that he was thy servant.

21. A blameless man hastened to their defense. Using the weapons of his sacred office - prayer and atonement incense - he confronted the divine Wrath, putting an end to their affliction, and was thus recognized as your servant.

22. So he overcame the destroyer, not with strength of body, nor force of arms, but with a word subdued him that punished, alleging the oaths and covenants made with the fathers.

22. He vanquished your Wrath, but not by physical strength or by the force of arms. He won over the Punisher by reminding him of the sworn promises and covenants made with our fathers.

23. For when the dead were now fallen down by heaps one upon another, standing between, he stayed the wrath, and parted the way to the living.

23. The dead were already piled up, one on top of the other, when he intervened, beating back Wrath and cutting it off from the living.

24. For in the long garment was the whole world, and in the four rows of the stones was the glory of the fathers graven, and thy Majesty upon the daidem of his head.

24. For the whole world was represented on his flowing robe, the glorious names of the fathers on the four rows of stones, and your majesty engraved on the diadem on his head.

25. Unto these the destroyer gave place, and was afraid of them: for it was enough that they only tasted of the wrath.

25. The Destroyer, afraid of these, recoiled; a mere taste of Wrath had been sufficient.