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Chapter 12

 

12:1 For thine incorruptible Spirit is in
all things. 2 Therefore chastenest thou them by little and little that offend,
and warnest them by putting them in remembrance wherein they have offended,
that leaving their wickedness they may believe on thee, O Lord. 3 For it was
thy will to destroy by the hands of our fathers both those old inhabitants of
thy holy land, 4 Whom thou hatedst for doing most odious works of witchcrafts,
and wicked sacrifices; 5 And also those merciless murderers of children, and
devourers of man’s flesh, and the feasts of blood, 6 With their priests out of
the midst of their idolatrous crew, and the parents, that killed with their own
hands souls destitute of help: 7 That the land, which thou esteemedst above all
other, might receive a worthy colony of God’s children.

 

8 Nevertheless even those thou sparedst as
men, and didst send wasps, forerunners of thine host, to destroy them by little
and little. 9 Not that thou wast unable to bring the ungodly under the hand of
the righteous in battle, or to destroy them at once with cruel beasts, or with
one rough word: 10 But executing thy judgments upon them by little and little,
thou gavest them place of repentance, not being ignorant that they were a naughty
generation, and that their malice was bred in them, and that their cogitation
would never be changed. 11 For it was a cursed seed from the beginning; neither
didst thou for fear of any man give them pardon for those things wherein they
sinned. 12 For who shall say, What hast thou done? or who shall withstand thy
judgment? or who shall accuse thee for the nations that perish, whom thou made?
or who shall come to stand against thee, to be revenged for the unrighteous
men? 13 For neither is there any God but thou that careth for all, to whom thou
mightest shew that thy judgment is not unright.

 

14 Neither shall king or tyrant be able to
set his face against thee for any whom thou hast punished. 15 Forsomuch then as
thou art righteous thyself, thou orderest all things righteously: thinking it
not agreeable with thy power to condemn him that hath not deserved to be
punished. 16 For thy power is the beginning of righteousness, and because thou
art the Lord of all, it maketh thee to be gracious unto all. 17 For when men
will not believe that thou art of a full power, thou shewest thy strength, and
among them that know it thou makest their boldness manifest. 18 But thou,
mastering thy power, judgest with equity, and orderest us with great favour:
for thou mayest use power when thou wilt.

 

19 But by such works hast thou taught thy
people that the just man should be merciful, and hast made thy children to be
of a good hope that thou givest repentance for sins. 20 For if thou didst
punish the enemies of thy children, and the condemned to death, with such
deliberation, giving them time and place, whereby they might be delivered from
their malice: 21 With how great circumspection didst thou judge thine own sons,
unto whose fathers thou hast sworn, and made covenants of good promises? 22
Therefore, whereas thou dost chasten us, thou scourgest our enemies a thousand
times more, to the intent that, when we judge, we should carefully think of thy
goodness, and when we ourselves are judged, we should look for mercy.

 

23 Wherefore, whereas men have lived
dissolutely and unrighteously, thou hast tormented them with their own
abominations. 24 For they went astray very far in the ways of error, and held
them for gods, which even among the beasts of their enemies were despised,
being deceived, as children of no understanding. 25 Therefore unto them, as to
children without the use of reason, thou didst send a judgment to mock them. 26
But they that would not be reformed by that correction, wherein he dallied with
them, shall feel a judgment worthy of God. 27 For, look, for what things they
grudged, when they were punished, that is, for them whom they thought to be
gods; now being punished in them, when they saw it, they acknowledged him to be
the true God, whom before they denied to know: and therefore came extreme
damnation upon them.