O how good and sweet is thy Spirit, O Lord, in all things!

O quam bonus et suavis est, Domine, spiritus tuus in omnibus!

Thy kindly influence, Lord, thy gracious influence is all about us.

And therefore thou chastisest them that err, by little and little: and admonishest them, and speakest to them, concerning the things wherein they offend: that leaving their wickedness, they may believe in thee, O Lord.

Ideoque eos qui exerrant partibus corripis, et de quibus peccant admones et alloqueris, ut relicta malitia credant in te, Domine.

Tender, at the first false step, is thy rebuke; thou dost remind and warn us that we have gone astray, to make us leave our sinning and have faith in thee.

For those ancient inhabitants of thy holy land, whom thou didst abhor,

Illos enim antiquos inhabitatores terræ sanctæ tuæ, quos exhorruisti,

So it was with the former inhabitants of this thy holy land. Good reason thou hadst to be their enemy;

Because they did works hateful to thee by their sorceries, and wicked sacrifices,

quoniam odibilia opera tibi faciebant per medicamina et sacrificia injusta,

of what detestable practices were they not guilty, with those sorceries and unhallowed rites of theirs!

And those merciless murderers of their own children, and eaters of men’s bowels, and devourers of blood from the midst of thy consecration,

et filiorum suorum necatores sine misericordia, et comestores viscerum hominum, et devoratores sanguinis a medio sacramento tuo,

Murderers that would not spare their own children, that feasted on human flesh, human entrails and blood, they must have no share in thy covenant.

And those parents sacrificing with their own hands helpless souls, it was thy will to destroy by the hands of our parents,

et auctores parentes animarum inauxiliatarum, perdere voluisti per manus parentum nostrorum:

Thy will was that our fathers should root them out, these unnatural murderers of their own defenceless children;

That the land which of all is most dear to thee might receive a worthy colony of the children of God.

ut dignam perciperent peregrinationem puerorum Dei, quæ tibi omnium carior est terra.

and this land, dear to thee as no other, should be more worthily peopled by the sons of God.

Yet even those thou sparedst as men, and didst send wasps, forerunners of thy host, to destroy them by little and little.

Sed et his tamquam hominibus pepercisti, et misisti antecessores exercitus tui vespas, ut illos paulatim exterminarent.

Yet they, too, were men, and thou wouldst deal gently with them; thou wouldst send hornets as the vanguard of thy invading host, to wear them down gradually.

Not that thou wast unable to bring the wicked under the just by war, or by cruel beasts, or with one rough word to destroy them at once:

Non quia impotens eras in bello subjicere impios justis, aut bestiis sævis, aut verbo duro simul exterminare:

Not that it was beyond thy power to give piety the mastery over godlessness by victory in battle, by some plague of ravening monsters, or by one word of doom.

But executing thy judgments by degrees thou gavest them place of repentance, not being ignorant that they were a wicked generation, and their malice natural, and that their thought could never be changed.

sed partibus judicans, dabas locum pœnitentiæ, non ignorans quoniam nequam est natio eorum, et naturalis malitia ipsorum, et quoniam non poterat mutari cogitatio illorum in perpetuum.

But no, their sentence should be executed by degrees, giving them opportunity to repent; though indeed thou knewest well that theirs was a worthless breed, of a malice so ingrained, that they would turn aside from their ill devices never;

For it was a cursed seed from the beginning: neither didst thou for fear of any one give pardon to their sins.

Semen enim erat maledictum ab initio; nec timens aliquem, veniam dabas peccatis illorum.

from its beginnings, an accursed race.Nor, if thou wast patient with the sinner, was it human respect that persuaded thee to it.

For who shall say to thee: What hast thou done? or who shall withstand thy judgment? or who shall come before thee to be a revenger of wicked men? or who shall accuse thee, if the nations perish, which thou hast made ?

Quis enim dicet tibi: Quid fecisti? aut quis stabit contra judicium tuum? aut quis in conspectu tuo veniet vindex iniquorum hominum? aut quis tibi imputabit, si perierint nationes quas tu fecisti?

Thy acts who shall question, thy doom who shall gainsay? Will some champion arise to challenge thee on behalf of these rebels, tax thee with unmaking the peoples thou hast made?

For there is no other God but thou,who hast care of all, that thou shouldst shew that thou dost not give judgment unjustly.

Non enim est alius deus quam tu, cui cura est de omnibus, ut ostendas quoniam non injuste judicas judicium.

God there is none save thou, that hast a whole world for thy province; and shall thy justice abide our question?

Neither shall king, nor tyrant in thy sight inquire about them whom thou hast destroyed.

Neque rex, neque tyrannus in conspectu tuo inquirent de his quos perdidisti.

Punish thou mayst as punish thou wilt; king nor emperor can be bold to outface thee.

For so much then as thou art just, thou orderest all things justly: thinking it not agreeable to the power, to condemn him who deserveth not to be punished.

Cum ergo sis justus, juste omnia disponis; ipsum quoque qui non debet puniri, condemnare, exterum æstimas a tua virtute.

So high beyond our censure, and therewithal so just in thy dealings! To condemn the innocent were unworthy of such majesty as thine;

For thy power is the beginning of justice: and because thou art Lord of all, thou makest thyself gracious to all.

Virtus enim tua justitiæ initium est, et ob hoc quod Dominus es, omnibus te parcere facis.

of all justice, thy power is the true source, universal lordship the ground of universal love!

For thou shewest thy power, when men will not believe thee to be absolute in power, and thou convincest the boldness of them that know thee not.

Virtutem enim ostendis tu, qui non crederis esse in virtute consummatus, et horum qui te nesciunt audaciam traducis.

Only when thy omnipotence is doubted wilt thou assert thy mastery, their rashness making manifest, who will not acknowledge thee;

But thou being master of power, judgest with tranquillity; and with great favour disposest of us: for thy power is at hand when thou wilt.

Tu autem dominator virtutis, cum tranquillitate judicas, et cum magna reverentia disponis nos: subest enim tibi, cum volueris posse.

elsewhere, with such power at thy disposal, a lenient judge thou provest thyself, riding us with a light rein, and keeping thy terrors in reserve.

But thou hast taught thy people by such works, that they must be just and humane, and hast made thy children to be of a good hope: because in judging thou givest place for repentance for sins.

Docuisti autem populum tuum per talia opera, quoniam oportet justum esse et humanum; et bonæ spei fecisti filios tuos, quoniam judicans das locum in peccatis pœnitentiæ.

Two lessons thy people were to learn from these dealings of thine; ever should justice and mercy go hand in hand, never should thy own children despair of forestalling thy justice by repentance.

For if thou didst punish the enemies of thy servants, and that deserved to die, with so great deliberation, giving them time and place whereby they might be changed from their wickedness:

Si enim inimicos servorum tuorum, et debitos morti, cum tanta cruciasti attentione, dans tempus et locum per quæ possent mutari a malitia:

What, so patient, so unhurrying, in thy vengeance on the doomed enemies of thy chosen race; always delay, always the opportunity given them to repent of their misdeeds;

With what circumspection hast thou judged thy own children, to whose parents thou hast sworn and made covenants of good promises?

cum quanta diligentia judicasti filios tuos, quorum parentibus juramenta et conventiones dedisti bonarum promissionum!

and wouldst thou shew less anxious care in trying the cause of thy own children, bound to thee from of old by a sworn covenant so rich in mercies?

Therefore whereas thou chastisest us, thou scourgest our enemies very many ways, to the end that when we judge we may think on thy goodness: and when we are judged, we may hope for thy mercy.

Cum ergo das nobis disciplinam, inimicos nostros multipliciter flagellas, ut bonitatem tuam cogitemus judicantes, et cum de nobis judicatur, speremus misericordiam tuam.

It is for our instruction, then, that thou usest such exquisite care in the punishing of our enemies; judge we, let us imitate thy clemency, abide we judgement, let us ever hope for pardon.

Wherefore thou hast also greatly tormented them who in their life have lived foolishly and unjustly, by the same things which they worshipped.

Unde et illis qui in vita sua insensate et injuste vixerunt, per hæc quæ coluerunt dedisti summa tormenta.

And so it was that thou didst plague the Egyptians, that were knaves and fools both; their own false gods should be the undoing of them.

For they went astray for a long time in the ways of error, holding those things for gods which are the most worthless among beasts, living after the manner of children without understanding.

Etenim in erroris via diutius erraverunt, deos æstimantes hæc quæ in animalibus sunt supervacua, infantium insensatorum more viventes.

This was the worst error of all their erring, that they worshipped the meanest of beasts as gods; silly children had been no more credulous.

Therefore thou hast sent a judgment upon them as senseless children to mock them.

Propter hoc tamquam pueris insensatis judicium in derisum dedisti.

Why then, these silly children should have play-time penalties first;

But they that were not amended by mockeries and reprehensions, experienced the worthy judgment of God.

Qui autem ludibriis et increpationibus non sunt correcti, dignum Dei judicium experti sunt.

of those play-time penalties if they took no heed, then at last they should feel how a God can punish.

For seeing with indignation that they suffered by those very things which they took for gods, when they were destroyed by the same, they acknowledged him the true God, whom in time past they denied that they knew: for which cause the end also of their condemnation came upon them.

In quibus enim patientes indignabantur per hæc quos putabant deos, in ipsis cum exterminarentur videntes, illum quem olim negabant se nosse, verum Deum agnoverunt; propter quod et finis condemnationis eorum venit super illos.

Humiliated they well might be at those sufferings of theirs, the very gods they worshipped the instruments of their distress; a sight enough to convince them that he was the true God, whom all this while they had rejected! But no, they must needs bring upon themselves the full rigours of justice.