| 7 δίκαιος δὲ ἐὰν φθάσῃ τελευτῆσαι ἐν ἀναπαύσει ἔσται 8 γῆρας γὰρ τίμιον οὐ τὸ πολυχρόνιον οὐδὲ ἀριθμῷ ἐτῶν μεμέτρηται 9 πολιὰ δέ ἐστιν φρόνησις ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἡλικία γήρως βίος ἀκηλίδωτος 10 εὐάρεστος θεῷ γενόμενος ἠγαπήθη καὶ ζῶν μεταξὺ ἁμαρτωλῶν μετετέθη 11 ἡρπάγη μὴ κακία ἀλλάξῃ σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ ἢ δόλος ἀπατήσῃ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ 12 βασκανία γὰρ φαυλότητος ἀμαυροῖ τὰ καλά καὶ ῥεμβασμὸς ἐπιθυμίας μεταλλεύει νοῦν ἄκακον 13 τελειωθεὶς ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἐπλήρωσεν χρόνους μακρούς 14 ἀρεστὴ γὰρ ἦν κυρίῳ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦτο ἔσπευσεν ἐκ μέσου πονηρίας οἱ δὲ λαοὶ ἰδόντες καὶ μὴ νοήσαντες μηδὲ θέντες ἐπὶ διανοίᾳ τὸ τοιοῦτο 15 ὅτι χάρις καὶ ἔλεος ἐν τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπισκοπὴ ἐν τοῖς ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ 16 κατακρινεῖ δὲ δίκαιος καμὼν τοὺς ζῶντας ἀσεβεῖς καὶ νεότης τελεσθεῖσα ταχέως πολυετὲς γῆρας ἀδίκου 17 ὄψονται γὰρ τελευτὴν σοφοῦ καὶ οὐ νοήσουσιν τί ἐβουλεύσατο περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς τί ἠσφαλίσατο αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος 18 ὄψονται καὶ ἐξουθενήσουσιν αὐτοὺς δὲ ὁ κύριος ἐκγελάσεται 19 καὶ ἔσονται μετὰ τοῦτο εἰς πτῶμα ἄτιμον καὶ εἰς ὕβριν ἐν νεκροῖς δ{I'} αἰῶνος ὅτι ῥήξει αὐτοὺς ἀφώνους πρηνεῖς καὶ σαλεύσει αὐτοὺς ἐκ θεμελίων καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου χερσωθήσονται καὶ ἔσονται ἐν ὀδύνῃ καὶ ἡ μνήμη αὐτῶν ἀπολεῖται 20 ἐλεύσονται ἐν συλλογισμῷ ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτῶν δειλοί καὶ ἐλέγξει αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἐναντίας τὰ ἀνομήματα αὐτῶν |
7 Not so the innocent; though he should die before his time, rest shall be his. 8 A seniority there is that claims reverence, owing nothing to time, not measured by the lapse of years; count a man grey-haired when he is wise, 9 ripe of age when his life is stainless. 10 Divine favour, divine love banished him from a life he shared with sinners; 11 caught him away, before wickedness could pervert his thoughts, before wrong-doing could allure his heart; 12 such witchery evil has, to tarnish honour, such alchemy do the roving passions exercise even on minds that are true metal. 13 With him, early achievement counted for long apprenticeship; 14 so well the Lord loved him, from a corrupt world he would grant him swift release.
The world looks on, uncomprehending; a hard lesson it is to learn, 15 that God does reward, does pity his chosen friends, does grant his faithful servants deliverance. 16 Did they know it, the death of the just man, with its promise early achieved, is a reproach to the wicked that live yet in late old age. 17 But what see they? Here is a man dead, and all his wisdom could not save him. That the Lord planned all this, and for the saving of him, does not enter their minds. 18 What wonder if the sight fills them with contempt? And they themselves, all the while, are earning the Lord’s contempt; 19 they themselves, doomed to lie there dishonoured among the dead, eternally a laughing-stock! How they will stand aghast, when he pricks the bubble of their pride![3] Ruins they shall be, overthrown from the foundation, land for ever parched dry; bitter torment shall be theirs, and their name shall perish irrecoverably. 20 Alas, the long tally of their sins! Trembling they shall come forward, and the record of their misdeeds shall rise up to confront them. |
7
Justus autem si morte præoccupatus fuerit,
in refrigerio erit; 8
senectus enim venerabilis est non diuturna,
neque annorum numero computata:
cani autem sunt sensus hominis, 9
et ætas senectutis vita immaculata. 10
Placens Deo factus est dilectus,
et vivens inter peccatores translatus est. 11
Raptus est, ne malitia mutaret intellectum ejus,
aut ne fictio deciperet animam illius. 12
Fascinatio enim nugacitatis obscurat bona,
et inconstantia concupiscentiæ transvertit sensum sine malitia. 13
Consummatus in brevi,
explevit tempora multa; 14
placita enim erat Deo anima illius:
propter hoc properavit educere illum de medio iniquitatum.
Populi autem videntes, et non intelligentes,
nec ponentes in præcordiis talia, 15
quoniam gratia Dei et misericordia est in sanctos ejus,
et respectus in electos illius. 16
Condemnat autem justus mortuus vivos impios,
et juventus celerius consummata longam vitam injusti. 17
Videbunt enim finem sapientis,
et non intelligent quid cogitaverit de illo Deus,
et quare munierit illum Dominus. 18
Videbunt, et contemnent eum;
illos autem Dominus irridebit. 19
Et erunt post hæc decidentes sine honore,
et in contumelia inter mortuos in perpetuum:
quoniam disrumpet illos inflatos sine voce,
et commovebit illos a fundamentis,
et usque ad supremum desolabuntur,
et erunt gementes, et memoria illorum peribit. 20
Venient in cogitatione peccatorum suorum timidi,
et traducent illos ex adverso iniquitates ipsorum. |