The Wisdom of Solomon
Wisdom of Solomon 17
Chapter XVII · Vol. III, p. 1555
1 Why the Egyptians were punished with darkness. 4 The terrors of that darkness. 11 The terrors of an ill conscience.
1 For 1great are thy judgments, and cannot be expressed: therefore 2unnurtured souls have erred.
1 Ps. 36. 6.
2 Or, souls that will not be reformed.
2 For when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation; they being shut up 3in their houses, 4the prisoners of darkness, and fettered with the bonds of a long night, lay [there] 5exiled from the eternal providence.
3 For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, they were scattered 6under a dark vail of forgetfulness, being horribly astonished, and troubled with [strange] 7apparitions.
6 Or, in.
7 Or, sights.
4 For neither might the corner that held them keep them from fear: but noises [as of waters] falling down sounded about them, and 8sad visions appeared unto them with heavy countenances.
8 See Job 4. 13. & 33. 15.
5 No power of the fire might give them light: 9neither could the bright flames of the stars endure to lighten that horrible night.
9 Joel 2. 10.
6 Only there appeared unto them a fire kindled of itself, very dreadful: for being much terrified, they thought the things which they saw to be worse than the sight they saw not.
7 *As for the illusions of art magic, they were put down, and their vaunting in wisdom was reproved with disgrace.
* Ex. 7. 12. & 8. 7, 18, 19.
8 For they that promised to drive away terrors and troubles from a sick soul, were sick themselves of fear, worthy to be laughed at.
9 For though no terrible thing did fear them; yet being scared †with beasts that passed by, and hissing of serpents,
† ch. 11. 18, 19.
10 They died for fear, ‡denying that they saw the air, which could of no side be avoided.
‡ Or, refusing to look upon.
11 For wickedness, condemned by her own witness, ||is very timorous, and being pressed with conscience, always forecasteth grievous things.
|| Dan. 5. 6.
12 For fear is nothing else but a betraying of the succours which reason offereth.
13 And the expectation from within, being less, counteth the ignorance more than the cause which bringeth the torment.
14 But they sleeping the same sleep that night, 1which was indeed intolerable, and which came upon them out of the bottoms of inevitable hell,
1 Or, wherein they could do nothing.
15 Were partly vexed with 2monstrous apparitions, and partly fainted, 3their heart failing them: for a sudden fear, and not looked for, came upon them.
2 ver. 3.
3 Luke 21. 26.
16 So then whosoever there fell down was straitly kept, shut up in a prison without iron bars.
17 For whether he were husbandman, or shepherd, or a labourer in the 4field, he was overtaken, and endured that necessity, which could not be avoided: for they were all bound with 5one chain of darkness.
4 Or, desert.
5 2 Pet. 2. 4.
18 Whether it were a whistling wind, or a melodious noise of birds among the spreading branches, or a pleasing fall of water running violently,
19 Or a 6terrible sound of stones cast down, or a running that could not be seen of skipping beasts, or a roaring voice of 7most savage wild beasts, or a rebounding echo from the hollow mountains; 8these things made them swoon for fear.
6 Or, hideous.
7 ver. 9.
8 ver. 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 15.
20 For the whole world shined with clear light, and none were hindered in their labour: