King James Version · Under the Greeks
Wisdom of Solomon 16
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1Therefore by the like were they punished worthily, and by of 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 sent among them lothe even that, which they must needs ; 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 were tormented. 5For when the horrible fierceness of came upon these, and they with the stings of crooked , thy not for ever: 6But they were troubled for a small season, that they might be admonished, having a sign of , to put them in remembrance of the of thy law. 7For he that turned himself toward it was not by the thing that he saw, but by thee, that art the of all. 8And in this thou madest thine , that it is thou who deliverest from all evil: 9For them the bitings of 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 , 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 , which healeth all things. 13For thou hast of life and : thou leadest to the of hell, and bringest up again. 14A man indeed killeth through his malice: and , when it is gone forth, returneth not; neither the 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 , hails, and , were they persecuted, that they could not avoid, and through were they consumed. 17For, which is most to be wondered at, the had more force in the water, that quencheth all things: for the world fighteth for . 18For sometime the flame was mitigated, that it might not burn up the that were sent against the ungodly; but themselves might see and perceive that they were persecuted with the of . 19And at another time it burneth even in the midst of water above the of , that it might destroy the fruits of an unjust land. 20Instead whereof thou feddest thine own people with ’ food, and didst send them from 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 to the appetite of the eater, tempered itself to every man’s liking. 22But snow and ice the , and melted not, that they might know that burning in the hail, and sparkling in the , did destroy the fruits of the . 23But this again did even forget his own strength, that 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 in thee. 25Therefore even then was it altered into all fashions, and was obedient to thy , that nourisheth all things, according to the of them that had need: 26That thy children, O , 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 in thee. 27For that which was not destroyed of the , 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 unto thee. 29For the of the unthankful shall melt away as the winter’s hoar frost, and shall run away as unprofitable water.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under the Greeks, 332 BC to 63 BC ›
Alexander's conquest and the kingdoms of his successors. Greek language and custom press in everywhere, and the crisis under Antiochus IV provokes the Maccabean revolt.
- The successors
- Alexander dies at thirty-two and his generals carve up the empire. Judea sits on the border between the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria, and is fought over by both for a century and a half, which is the ordinary condition of the corridor.
- Hellenism
- Not just conquest but a culture: the gymnasium, the theatre, Greek names, Greek dress, Greek as the language of anyone with ambitions. Some Jews embraced it, some resisted it, and the argument between them is the real subject of the Maccabean books. In Alexandria the Hebrew scriptures are translated into Greek, producing the Septuagint, which is the Bible most New Testament writers quote.
- The crisis
- Antiochus IV bans the practice of Judaism, plunders the temple, and sets up a pagan altar in it in 167 BC. The revolt under the Maccabees wins, the temple is rededicated in 164 BC, which is the origin of Hanukkah, and Judea has about eighty years of independence under the Hasmoneans before Rome arrives.
- Further afield
- Rome fights Carthage three times and ends up master of the Mediterranean. Euclid writes the Elements and Archimedes does his work at Syracuse. In China the Qin unify the country in 221 BC and the Han follow, opening what becomes the Silk Road.