Süleyman’ın Bilgeliği 16

¹Bu yüzden benzer şeyler aracılığıyla hak ettikleri şekilde cezalandırıldılar ve canavar yığınlarının eliyle azap çektiler.

²Bu cezaya karşılık, kendi halkına iyilik ederek onların iştahını kabartmak için sıra dışı bir lezzet, yiyecek olarak bıldırcın kılavuzu hazırladın.

³Öyle ki, o ilk gruptakiler yiyecek arzuladıkları halde, üzerlerine gönderilen yaratıkların iğrençliği yüzünden temel iştahlarından bile tiksinsinler; senin halkın ise kısa bir süre yokluk çektikten sonra bu sıra dışı lezzetten pay alabilsin.

⁴Çünkü tiranlık edenlerin üzerine kaçınılmaz bir yokluğun gelmesi gerekiyordu; senin halkına ise sadece düşmanlarının nasıl azap çektiğinin gösterilmesi yeterliydi.

⁵Nitekim onların üzerine yabanıl hayvanların korkunç öfkesi gelip de kıvrıla giden yılanların ısırmasıyla yok olurlarken, gazabın sonsuza dek sürmedi.

⁶Yasa'nın buyruğunu hatırlasınlar diye, kendilerine bir kurtuluş öğütçüsü verilerek uslanmaları için kısa bir süre sıkıntıya uğratıldılar.

⁷Çünkü o işarete yönelen kişi, görülen şey sayesinde değil, herkesin Kurtarıcısı olan senin sayende kurtuluyordu.

⁸Böylelikle düşmanlarımıza da her türlü kötülükten kurtaranın sen olduğunu kanıtladın.

⁹Çünkü onları çekirge ve sineklerin ısırması öldürdü ve canlarına hiçbir şifa bulunamadı; çünkü bu tür yaratıklar aracılığıyla cezalandırılmaya layıktılar.

¹⁰Ancak senin oğullarını zehirli ejderhaların dişleri bile alt edemedi; çünkü senin merhametin araya girdi ve onları iyileştirdi.

¹¹Senin sözlerini hatırlasınlar diye hafifçe dürtüldüler ve hemen kurtarıldılar; öyle ki, derin bir unutkanlığa düşüp senin iyiliğinden mahrum kalmasınlar.

¹²Çünkü onları iyileştiren ne bir ot ne de yumuşatıcı bir merhemdi; aksine, ey Rab, her şeye şifa veren senin sözündü.

¹³Çünkü yaşamın ve ölümün yetkisi senin elindedir; Hades'in kapılarına indiren de, oradan çıkaran da sensin.

¹⁴İnsan ise kötülüğüyle öldürür, ama bedenden çıkan soluğu geri döndüremez ve teslim alınmış canı geri getiremez.

¹⁵Senin elinden kaçmak ise imkansızdır.

¹⁶Seni tanımayı reddeden imansızlar, senin güçlü kolunla kırbaçlandılar; kaçamadıkları sıra dışı yağmurlar, dolular ve şiddetli sağanaklarla kovalandılar ve ateşle yok edildiler.

¹⁷En şaşırtıcı olanı ise, her şeyi söndüren suyun içinde ateşin etkisinin daha da artmasıydı; çünkü evren, doğruların uğrunda savaşan bir şampiyondur.

¹⁸Çünkü bazen alevler, imansızların üzerine gönderilen hayvanları yakıp yok etmemek için uysallaşıyordu; öyle ki, bunu görenler Tanrı'nın yargısıyla kovalandıklarını anlasınlar.

¹⁹Bazen de alevler, adaletsiz ülkenin ürünlerini yok etmek için suyun ortasında bile ateşin olağan gücünün ötesinde parıldıyordu.

²⁰Buna karşılık kendi halkını meleklerin yiyeceğiyle şefkatle besledin ve onlara gökten emek harcamadan hazır ekmek gönderdin; bu ekmek her türlü lezzeti içinde barındırıyor ve her damak tadına uyum sağlıyordu.

²¹Çünkü sunduğun bu öz varlık, çocuklarına olan tatlılığını gösteriyordu; yiyenin arzusuna hizmet ederek, herkesin dilediği tada dönüşüyordu.

²²Kar ve buz ise ateşe dayandı ve erimedi; öyle ki, dolunun içinde yanan ve yağmurun içinde parıldayan ateşin, düşmanların ürünlerini yok ettiğini bilsinler.

²³Öte yandan, doğrular beslenebilsin diye, aynı ateş kendi gücünü bile unutmaya zorlandı.

²⁴Çünkü seni, yani Yaratanını hoşnut eden yaratılış, adaletsizlerin cezalandırılması için gücünü artırır, sana güvenenlerin iyiliği için ise gücünü hafifletir.

²⁵Bu yüzden o zaman da her şekle girerek, ihtiyaç sahiplerinin isteğine göre her şeyi besleyen senin lütfuna hizmet etti.

²⁶Öyle ki, ey Rab, sevdiğin oğulların bilsinler ki, insanı besleyen şey ürünlerin yetişmesi değil, sana güvenenleri koruyan senin sözündür.

²⁷Çünkü ateşin yok edemediği o yiyecek, güneşin hafif bir ışığıyla ısınır ısınmaz hemen eriyip gidiyordu.

²⁸Öyle ki, sana şükretmek için güneşin doğuşundan önce uyanmamız ve ışığın belirdiği an sana yakarmamız gerektiği bilinsin.

²⁹Çünkü nankörün umudu kış kırağısı gibi eriyecek ve yararsız bir su gibi akıp gidecektir.

¹ΔΙΑ τοῦτο δ᾿ ὁμοίων ἐκολάσθησαν ἀξίως καὶ διὰ πλήθους κνωδάλων ἐβασανίσθησαν.

²ἀνθ᾿ ἧς κολάσεως εὐεργετήσας τὸν λαόν σου, εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ὀρέξεως ξένην γεῦσιν, τροφὴν ἡτοίμασας ὀρτυγομήτραν,

³ἵνα ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἐπιθυμοῦντες τροφὴν διὰ τὴν εἰδέ χθειαν τῶν ἐπαπεσταλμένων καὶ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν ὄρεξιν ἀποστρέφωνται, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐπ᾿ ὀλίγον ἐνδεεῖς γενόμενοι καὶ ξένης μετάσχωσι γεύσεως.

⁴ἔδει γὰρ ἐκείνοις μὲν ἀπαραίτητον ἔνδειαν ἐπελθεῖν τυραννοῦσι, τούτοις δὲ μόνον δειχθῆναι πῶς οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν ἐβασανίζοντο.

⁵Καὶ γὰρ ὅτε αὐτοῖς δεινὸς ἐπῆλθε θηρίων θυμὸς δήγμασί τε σκολιῶν διεφθείροντο ὄφεων, οὐ μέχρι τέλους ἔμεινεν ἡ ὀργή σου·

⁶εἰς νουθεσίαν δὲ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐταράχθησαν, σύμβουλον ἔχοντες σωτηρίας εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ἐντολῆς νόμου σου·

⁷ὁ γὰρ ἐπιστραφεὶς οὐ διὰ τὸ θεωρούμενον ἐσώζετο, ἀλλὰ διὰ σὲ τὸν πάντων σωτῆρα.

⁸καὶ ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ἔπεισας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ῥυόμενος ἐκ παντὸς κακοῦ·

⁹οὓς μὲν γαρ ἀκρίδων καὶ μυιῶν ἀπέκτεινε δήγματα, καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ἴαμα τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἄξιοι ἦσαν ὑπὸ τοιούτων κολασθῆναι·

¹⁰τοὺς δὲ υἱούς σου οὐδὲ ἰοβόλων δρακόντων ἐνίκησαν ὀδόντες, τὸ ἔλεος γάρ σου ἀντιπαρῆλθε καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτούς.

¹¹εἰς γὰρ ὑπόμνησιν τῶν λογίων σου ἐνεκεντρίζοντο καὶ ὀξέως διεσώζοντο, ἵνα μὴ εἰς βαθεῖαν ἐμπεσόντες λήθην ἀπερίσπαστοι γένωνται τῆς σῆς εὐεργεσίας.

¹²καὶ γὰρ οὔτε βοτάνη οὔτε μάλαγμα ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ ὁ σός, Κύριε, λόγος ὁ πάντα ἱώμενος.

¹³σὺ γὰρ ζωῆς καὶ θανάτου ἐξουσίαν ἔχεις καὶ κατάγεις εἰς πύλας ᾅδου καὶ ἀνάγεις.

¹⁴ἄνθρωπος δὲ ἀποκτέννει μὲν τῇ κακίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἐξελθὸν δὲ πνεῦμα οὐκ ἀναστρέφει οὐδὲ ἀναλύει ψυχὴν παραληφθεῖσαν.

¹⁵Τὴν δὲ σὴν χεῖρα φυγεῖν ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν·

¹⁶ἀρνούμενοι γάρ σε εἰδέναι ἀσεβεῖς, ἐν ἰσχύϊ βραχίονός σου ἐμαστιγώθησαν, ξένοις ὑετοῖς καὶ χαλάζαις καὶ ὄμβροις διωκόμενοι ἀπαραιτήτοις καὶ πυρὶ καταναλισκόμενοι.

¹⁷τὸ γὰρ παραδοξότατον, ἐν τῷ πάντα σβεννύντι ὕδατι πλεῖον ἐνήργει τὸ πῦρ, ὑπέρμαχος γὰρ ὁ κόσμος ἐστὶ δικαίων·

¹⁸ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ ἡμεροῦτο φλόξ, ἵνα μὴ καταφλέξῃ τὰ ἐπ᾿ ἀσεβεῖς ἀπεσταλμένα ζῷα, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτοὶ βλέποντες ἴδωσιν, ὅτι Θεοῦ κρίσει ἐλαύνονται·

¹⁹ποτὲ δὲ καὶ μεταξὺ ὕδατος ὑπὲρ τὴν πυρὸς δύναμιν φλέγει, ἵνα ἀδίκου γῆς γεννήματα διαφθείρῃ.

²⁰ἀνθ᾿ ὧν ἀγγέλων τροφὴν ἐψώμισας τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἕτοιμον ἄρτον αὐτοῖς ἀπ᾿ οὐρανοῦ ἔπεμψας ἀκοπιάτως πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν ἰσχύοντα καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἁρμόνιον γεῦσιν·

²¹ἡ μὲν γὰρ ὑπόστασίς σου τὴν σὴν γλυκύτητα πρὸς τέκνα ἐνεφάνισε, τῇ δὲ τοῦ προσφερομένου ἐπιθυμίᾳ ὑπηρετῶν πρὸς ὅ τις ἐβούλετο μετεκιρνᾶτο.

²²χιὼν δὲ καὶ κρύσταλλος ὑπέμεινε πῦρ καὶ οὐκ ἐτήκετο, ἵνα γνῶσιν ὅτι τοὺς τῶν ἐχθρῶν καρποὺς κατέφθειρε πῦρ φλεγόμενον ἐν τῇ χαλάζῃ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑετοῖς διαστράπτον·

²³τοῦτο πάλιν δ᾿ ἵνα τραφῶσι δίκαιοι, καὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιλελῆσθαι δυνάμεως.

²⁴ἡ γὰρ κτίσις σοι τῷ ποιήσαντι ὑπηρετοῦσα ἐπιτείνεται εἰς κόλασιν κατὰ τῶν ἀδίκων καὶ ἀνίεται εἰς εὐεργεσίαν ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰς σὲ πεποιθότων.

²⁵διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τότε εἰς πάντα μεταλλευομένη τῇ παντοτρόφῳ σου δωρεᾷ ὑπηρέτει πρὸς τὴν τῶν δεομένων θέλησιν,

²⁶ἵνα μάθωσιν οἱ υἱοί σου, οὓς ἠγάπησας, Κύριε, ὅτι οὐχ αἱ γενέσεις τῶν καρπῶν τρέφουσιν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ρῆμά σου τοὺς σοὶ πιστεύοντας διατηρεῖ.

²⁷τὸ γὰρ ὑπὸ πυρὸς μὴ φθειρόμενον ἁπλῶς ὑπὸ βραχείας ἀκτῖνος ἡλίου θερμαινόμενον ἐτήκετο,

²⁸ὅπως γνωστὸν ᾖ ὅτι δεῖ φθάνειν τὸν ἥλιον ἐπ᾿ εὐχαριστίαν σου καὶ πρὸς ἀνατολὴν φωτὸς ἐντυγχάνειν σοι.

²⁹ἀχαρίστου γὰρ ἐλπὶς ὡς χειμέριος πάχνη τακήσεται καὶ ρυήσεται ὡς ὕδωρ ἄχρηστον.

¹Therefore by the like were they punished worthily, and by the multitude of beasts tormented.

²Instead of which punishment, dealing graciously with thine own people, thou preparedst for them meat of a strange taste, even quails to stir up their appetite:

³To the end that they, desiring food, might for the ugly sight of the beasts sent among them lothe even that, which they must needs desire; but these, suffering penury for a short space, might be made partakers of a strange taste.

⁴For it was requisite, that upon them exercising tyranny should come penury, which they could not avoid: but to these it should only be shewed how their enemies were tormented.

⁵For when the horrible fierceness of beasts came upon these, and they perished with the stings of crooked serpents, thy wrath endured not for ever:

⁶But they were troubled for a small season, that they might be admonished, having a sign of salvation, to put them in remembrance of the commandment of thy law.

⁷For he that turned himself toward it was not saved by the thing that he saw, but by thee, that art the Saviour of all.

⁸And in this thou madest thine enemies confess, that it is thou who deliverest from all evil:

⁹For them the bitings of grasshoppers and flies killed, neither was there found any remedy for their life: for they were worthy to be punished by such.

¹⁰But thy sons not the very teeth of venomous dragons overcame: for thy mercy was ever by them, and healed them.

¹¹For they were pricked, that they should remember thy words; and were quickly saved, that not falling into deep forgetfulness, they might be continually mindful of thy goodness.

¹²For it was neither herb, nor mollifying plaister, that restored them to health: but thy word, O Lord, which healeth all things.

¹³For thou hast power of life and death: thou leadest to the gates of hell, and bringest up again.

¹⁴A man indeed killeth through his malice: and the spirit, when it is gone forth, returneth not; neither the soul received up cometh again.

¹⁵But it is not possible to escape thine hand.

¹⁶For the ungodly, that denied to know thee, were scourged by the strength of thine arm: with strange rains, hails, and showers, were they persecuted, that they could not avoid, and through fire were they consumed.

¹⁷For, which is most to be wondered at, the fire had more force in the water, that quencheth all things: for the world fighteth for the righteous.

¹⁸For sometime the flame was mitigated, that it might not burn up the beasts that were sent against the ungodly; but themselves might see and perceive that they were persecuted with the judgment of God.

¹⁹And at another time it burneth even in the midst of water above the power of fire, that it might destroy the fruits of an unjust land.

²⁰Instead whereof thou feddest thine own people with angels’ food, and didst send them from heaven bread prepared without their labour, able to content every man’s delight, and agreeing to every taste.

²¹For thy sustenance declared thy sweetness unto thy children, and serving to the appetite of the eater, tempered itself to every man’s liking.

²²But snow and ice endured the fire, and melted not, that they might know that fire burning in the hail, and sparkling in the rain, did destroy the fruits of the enemies.

²³But this again did even forget his own strength, that the righteous might be nourished.

²⁴For the creature that serveth thee, who art the Maker increaseth his strength against the unrighteous for their punishment, and abateth his strength for the benefit of such as put their trust in thee.

²⁵Therefore even then was it altered into all fashions, and was obedient to thy grace, that nourisheth all things, according to the desire of them that had need:

²⁶That thy children, O Lord, whom thou lovest, might know, that it is not the growing of fruits that nourisheth man: but that it is thy word, which preserveth them that put their trust in thee.

²⁷For that which was not destroyed of the fire, being warmed with a little sunbeam, soon melted away:

²⁸That it might be known, that we must prevent the sun to give thee thanks, and at the dayspring pray unto thee.

²⁹For the hope of the unthankful shall melt away as the winter’s hoar frost, and shall run away as unprofitable water.