| 22 εἶ{T'} οὐκ ἤρκεσεν τὸ πλανᾶσθαι περὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ γνῶσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ ζῶντες ἀγνοίας πολέμῳ τὰ τοσαῦτα κακὰ εἰρήνην προσαγορεύουσιν 23 ἢ γὰρ τεκνοφόνους τελετὰς ἢ κρύφια μυστήρια ἢ ἐμμανεῖς ἐξάλλων θεσμῶν κώμους ἄγοντες 24 οὔτε βίους οὔτε γάμους καθαροὺς ἔτι φυλάσσουσιν ἕτερος {D'} ἕτερον ἢ λοχῶν ἀναιρεῖ ἢ νοθεύων ὀδυνᾷ 25 πάντα {D'} ἐπιμὶξ ἔχει αἷμα καὶ φόνος κλοπὴ καὶ δόλος φθορά ἀπιστία τάραχος ἐπιορκία 26 θόρυβος ἀγαθῶν χάριτος ἀμνηστία ψυχῶν μιασμός γενέσεως ἐναλλαγή γάμων ἀταξία μοιχεία καὶ ἀσέλγεια 27 ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἀνωνύμων εἰδώλων θρησκεία παντὸς ἀρχὴ κακοῦ καὶ αἰτία καὶ πέρας ἐστίν 28 ἢ γὰρ εὐφραινόμενοι μεμήνασιν ἢ προφητεύουσιν ψευδῆ ἢ ζῶσιν ἀδίκως ἢ ἐπιορκοῦσιν ταχέως 29 ἀψύχοις γὰρ πεποιθότες εἰδώλοις κακῶς ὀμόσαντες ἀδικηθῆναι οὐ προσδέχονται 30 ἀμφότερα δὲ αὐτοὺς μετελεύσεται τὰ δίκαια ὅτι κακῶς ἐφρόνησαν περὶ θεοῦ προσέχοντες εἰδώλοις καὶ ἀδίκως ὤμοσαν ἐν δόλῳ καταφρονήσαντες ὁσιότητος 31 οὐ γὰρ ἡ τῶν ὀμνυμένων δύναμις ἀλ{L'} ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων δίκη ἐπεξέρχεται ἀεὶ τὴν τῶν ἀδίκων παράβασιν |
22 Nor were they content with these false notions of God’s nature; living in a world besieged by doubt, they misnamed its innumerable disorders a state of peace. 23 Peace, amidst their rites of child-murder, their dark mysteries, their vigils consecrated to frenzy! 24 Peace, while there is no respect for life, or for wedlock undefiled; always the murderous ambush, the jealous pangs of a husband betrayed! 25 All is a welter of bloodshed and murder, theft and fraud, corruption and disloyalty, sedition and perjury; 26 honest men are assailed, kindnesses forgotten, souls defiled, breeds confused, marriages unsettled; adultery reigns and wantonness. 27 Name we all these, name we never the idols whose worship is the cause, the beginning and end, of all these! 28 Their ecstasies are but raving, their prophecies are but lies; ill live their worshippers, and lightly forswear themselves. 29 And no marvel; what hurt should they take from the oath falsely sworn, since all their faith is in dead gods? 30 But indeed they shall pay both scores, idolaters that thought so ill of God, and perjurers that by their treason slighted all honour; 31 not the power he swore by, but the justice that keeps watch over sinners, walks ever close on the heels of ill-doing. |
22
Et non suffecerat errasse eos circa Dei scientiam,
sed et in magno viventes inscientiæ bello,
tot et tam magna mala pacem appellant. 23
Aut enim filios suos sacrificantes,
aut obscura sacrificia facientes,
aut insaniæ plenas vigilias habentes, 24
neque vitam, neque nuptias mundas jam custodiunt:
sed alius alium per invidiam occidit,
aut adulterans contristat, 25
et omnia commista sunt: sanguis, homicidium,
furtum et fictio, corruptio et infidelitas,
turbatio et perjurium, tumultus bonorum, 26
Dei immemoratio, animarum inquinatio,
nativitatis immutatio, nuptiarum inconstantia,
inordinatio mœchiæ et impudicitiæ. 27
Infandorum enim idolorum cultura
omnis mali causa est, et initium et finis. 28
Aut enim dum lætantur insaniunt,
aut certe vaticinantur falsa,
aut vivunt injuste, aut pejerant cito. 29
Dum enim confidunt in idolis quæ sine anima sunt,
male jurantes noceri se non sperant. 30
Utraque ergo illis evenient digne,
quoniam male senserunt de Deo, attendentes idolis,
et juraverunt injuste,
in dolo contemnentes justitiam. 31
Non enim juratorum virtus,
sed peccantium pœna,
perambulat semper injustorum prævaricationem. |