Wisdom 5

¹Then shall the just stand in great constancy against those that have afflicted them, and taken away their labours.

²They seeing shall be troubled with horrible fear, and shall marvel at the suddenness of unexpected salvation,

³saying within themselves, repenting, and sighing for anguish of spirit: These are they, whom we had sometime in derision, and in a parable of reproach.

⁴We senseless esteemed their life madness, and their end without honour.

⁵Behold how they are counted among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints.

⁶We therefore have erred from the way of truth, and the light of justice hath not shined to us, and the sun of understanding rose not to us.

⁷We are wearied in the way of iniquity and perdition, and have walked hard ways, but the way of our Lord we have not known.

⁸What hath pride profited us? Or what commodity hath the vaunting of riches brought to us?

⁹All those things are passed away as a shadow, and as a messenger running before,

¹⁰and as a ship, that passeth through the surging waters: whereof, when it is past, the trace cannot be found nor the path of that ship's keel in the waves:

¹¹or as a bird, that flyeth through in the air, of which there is no token can be found of her passage, but only a sound of the wings beating the light wind: and by vehemence of going cutting the air, moving the wings she is flown through, and afterward there is no sign found of her way:

¹²or as when an arrow is shot forth to a set mark, the divided air is forthwith closed in it-self again, so that the passage thereof is not known:

¹³so we also being born forthwith ceased to be: and of virtue certes have been able to shew no sign: but in our naughtiness we are consumed.

¹⁴Such things said they in hell, which sinned:

¹⁵because the hope of the impious is as dust, which is taken away with the wind: and as a thin froth, which is dispersed by the storm: and as smoke that is scattered abroad by the wind: and as the memory of a guest of one day that passeth.

¹⁶But the just shall live for ever, and their reward is with our Lord, and cogitation of them with the Highest.

¹⁷Therefore shall they receive a Kingdom of honour, & a crown of beauty at the hand of our Lord: because with his right hand he will cover them, and within his holy arm he will defend them.

¹⁸And his zeal will take armour, and he will arm the creature to the revenge of the enemies.

¹⁹He will put on justice for a breast-plate, & will take sincere judgement for an helmet:

²⁰he will take equity for an invincible shield:

²¹and he will sharpen fierce wrath for a spear, & the round world shall fight with him against the senseless.

²²The shots of lightnings shall go directly, & as it were from a bow of the clouds well bent they shall be cast forth, and shall light on a certain place.

²³And from rocked wrath shall thick hail-stones be cast, the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the rivers shall run together roughly.

²⁴A spirit of power shall stand against them, and as a hurlwind shall divide them: and their iniquity shall bring all the land to a desert, and naughtiness shall overthrow the seats of the mighty.