Wisdom Chapter 12

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 O how good and sweet is thy Spirit, O Lord, in all things!
2 And therefore thou chastisest them that err, by little and little: and admonishest them, and speakest to them, concerning the things wherein they offend: that leaving their wickedness, they may believe in thee, O Lord.

3 For those ancient inhabitants of thy holy land, whom thou didst abhor,
4 Because they did works hateful to thee by their sorceries, and wicked sacrifices,
5 And those merciless murderers of their own children, and eaters of men's bowels, and devourers of blood from the midst of thy consecration, From the midst of thy consecration... Literally, sacrament. That is, the land sacred to thee, in which thy temple was to be established, and man's redemption to be wrought.
6 And those parents sacrificing with their own hands helpless souls, it was thy will to destroy by the hands of our parents,
7 That the land which of all is most dear to thee, might receive a worthy colony of the children of God.
8 Yet even those thou sparedst as men, and didst send wasps forerunners of thy host, to destroy them by little and little.
9 Not that thou wast unable to bring the wicked under the just by war, or by cruel beasts, or with one rough word to destroy them at once:
10 But executing thy judgments by degrees, thou gavest them place of repentance, not being ignorant that they were a wicked generation, and their malice natural, and that their thought could never be changed.
11 For it was a cursed seed from the beginning: neither didst thou for fear of any one give pardon to their sins.
12 For who shall say to thee: What hast thou done? or who shall withstand thy judgment? or who shall come before thee to be a revenger of wicked men? or who shall accuse thee, if the nations perish, which thou hast made?
13 For there is no other God but thou, who hast care of all, that thou shouldst show that thou dost not give judgment unjustly.
14 Neither shall king, nor tyrant, in thy sight inquire about them whom thou hast destroyed.
15 For so much then, as thou art just, thou orderest all things justly: thinking it not agreeable to the power, to condemn him who deserveth not to be punished.
16 For thy power is the beginning of justice: and because thou art Lord of all, thou makest thyself gracious to all.
17 For thou showest thy power, when men will not believe thee to be absolute in power, and thou convincest the boldness of them that know thee not.
18 But thou being master of power, judgest with tranquillity, and with great favour disposest of us: for thy power is at hand when thou wilt.

19 But thou hast taught thy people by such works, that they must be just and humane, and hast made thy children to be of a good hope: because in judging, thou givest place for repentance for sins.
20 For if thou didst punish the enemies of thy servants, and that deserved to die, with so great deliberation, giving them time and place whereby they might be changed from their wickedness:
21 With what circumspection hast thou judged thy own children, to whose parents thou hast sworn, and made covenants of good promises?
22 Therefore whereas thou chastisest us, thou scourgest our enemies very many ways, to the end that when we judge we may think on thy goodness: and when we are judged, we may hope for thy mercy.
23 Wherefore thou hast also greatly tormented them, who, in their life, have lived foolishly and unjustly, by the same things which they worshipped.
24 For they went astray for a long time in the ways of error, holding those things for gods which are the most worthless among beasts, living after the manner of children without understanding.
25 Therefore thou hast sent a judgment upon them, as senseless children, to mock them.
26 But they that were not amended by mockeries and reprehensions, experienced the worthy judgment of God.
27 For seeing, with indignation, that they suffered by those very things which they took for gods, when they were destroyed by the same, they acknowledged him the true God, whom in time past they denied that they knew: for which cause the end also of their condemnation came upon them.

Old Testament first published 1609 by the English College at Douay
New Testament first published 1582 by the English College at Rheims
Revised and Annotated 1749 by Bishop Richard Challoner
Imprimatur. +James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, September 1, 1899

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 O quam bonus et suavis est, Domine, spiritus tuus in omnibus!
2 Ideoque eos qui exerrant partibus corripis,
et de quibus peccant admones et alloqueris,
ut relicta malitia credant in te, Domine.

3 Illos enim antiquos inhabitatores terræ sanctæ tuæ,
quos exhorruisti,
4 quoniam odibilia opera tibi faciebant
per medicamina et sacrificia injusta,
5 et filiorum suorum necatores sine misericordia,
et comestores viscerum hominum,
et devoratores sanguinis a medio sacramento tuo,
6 et auctores parentes animarum inauxiliatarum,
perdere voluisti per manus parentum nostrorum:
7 ut dignam perciperent peregrinationem puerorum Dei,
quæ tibi omnium carior est terra.
8 Sed et his tamquam hominibus pepercisti,
et misisti antecessores exercitus tui vespas,
ut illos paulatim exterminarent.
9 Non quia impotens eras in bello subjicere impios justis,
aut bestiis sævis, aut verbo duro simul exterminare:
10 sed partibus judicans,
dabas locum pœnitentiæ,
non ignorans quoniam nequam est natio eorum,
et naturalis malitia ipsorum,
et quoniam non poterat mutari cogitatio illorum in perpetuum.
11 Semen enim erat maledictum ab initio;
nec timens aliquem, veniam dabas peccatis illorum.
12 Quis enim dicet tibi: Quid fecisti?
aut quis stabit contra judicium tuum?
aut quis in conspectu tuo veniet vindex iniquorum hominum?
aut quis tibi imputabit, si perierint nationes quas tu fecisti?
13 Non enim est alius deus quam tu,
cui cura est de omnibus,
ut ostendas quoniam non injuste judicas judicium.
14 Neque rex, neque tyrannus in conspectu tuo inquirent
de his quos perdidisti.
15 Cum ergo sis justus, juste omnia disponis;
ipsum quoque qui non debet puniri, condemnare,
exterum æstimas a tua virtute.
16 Virtus enim tua justitiæ initium est,
et ob hoc quod Dominus es,
omnibus te parcere facis.
17 Virtutem enim ostendis tu,
qui non crederis esse in virtute consummatus,
et horum qui te nesciunt audaciam traducis.
18 Tu autem dominator virtutis, cum tranquillitate judicas,
et cum magna reverentia disponis nos:
subest enim tibi, cum volueris posse.

19 Docuisti autem populum tuum per talia opera,
quoniam oportet justum esse et humanum;
et bonæ spei fecisti filios tuos,
quoniam judicans das locum in peccatis pœnitentiæ.
20 Si enim inimicos servorum tuorum, et debitos morti,
cum tanta cruciasti attentione,
dans tempus et locum per quæ possent mutari a malitia:
21 cum quanta diligentia judicasti filios tuos,
quorum parentibus juramenta et conventiones dedisti bonarum promissionum!
22 Cum ergo das nobis disciplinam,
inimicos nostros multipliciter flagellas,
ut bonitatem tuam cogitemus judicantes,
et cum de nobis judicatur, speremus misericordiam tuam.
23 Unde et illis qui in vita sua insensate et injuste vixerunt,
per hæc quæ coluerunt dedisti summa tormenta.
24 Etenim in erroris via diutius erraverunt,
deos æstimantes hæc quæ in animalibus sunt supervacua,
infantium insensatorum more viventes.
25 Propter hoc tamquam pueris insensatis judicium in derisum dedisti.
26 Qui autem ludibriis et increpationibus non sunt correcti,
dignum Dei judicium experti sunt.
27 In quibus enim patientes indignabantur
per hæc quos putabant deos,
in ipsis cum exterminarentur videntes,
illum quem olim negabant se nosse, verum Deum agnoverunt;
propter quod et finis condemnationis eorum venit super illos.

Transcribed as part of the Clementine Vulgate Project
Please notify the original transcriber (little.mouth@soon.com) of any errors in this Latin edition

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