Because, being ministers of his kingdom, ye have not judged aright, nor kept the law, nor walked after the counsel of God;
Horribly and speedily shall he come upon you: for a sharp judgment shall be to them that be in high places.
For mercy will soon pardon the meanest: but mighty men shall be mightily tormented.[ὅτι ὑπηρέται ὄντες τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας οὐκ ἐκρίνατε ὀρθῶς
οὐδὲ ἐφυλάξατε νόμον
οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπορεύθητε.
φρικτῶς καὶ ταχέως ἐπιστήσεται ὑμῖν,
ὅτι κρίσις ἀπότομος ἐν τοῖς ὑπερέχουσιν γίνεται.
ὁ γὰρ ἐλάχιστος συγγνωστός ἐστιν ἐλέους,
δυνατοὶ δὲ δυνατῶς ἐτασθήσονται·]The Bible (The Old Testament) (14th - 2nd C BC) Judeo-Christian sacred scripture [Tanakh, Hebrew Bible], incl. the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonicals)
Book 22a. Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon) 6: 4ff (Wis 6:4–6) [tr. KJV (1611)]
(Source)
Advising kings and all who rule.
Wisdom (also known as "Wisdom of Solomon) is one of the Apocrypha, not included in many Protestant Bibles or in the Tanakh (though in the Septuagint). See here for more information on the origin and acceptance of this book.
(Source (Greek)). Other translations:Because being ministers of his kingdom, you have not judged rightly, nor kept the law of justice, nor walked according to the will of God.
Horribly and speedily will he appear to you: for a most severe judgment shall be for them that bear rule.
For to him that is little, mercy is granted: but the mighty shall be mightily tormented.
[tr. DRA (1899), v. 5–7]If, as administrators of his kingdom, you have not governed justly nor observed the law, nor behaved as God would have you behave, he will fall on you swiftly and terribly. Ruthless judgement is reserved for the high and mighty; the lowly will be compassionately pardoned, the mighty will be mightily punished.
[tr. JB (1966)]If therefore, as servants of his kingdom, you have not ruled justly nor observed the law, nor followed the will of God, he will fall on you swiftly and terribly. On the highly placed a ruthless judgement falls; the lowly are pardoned, out of pity, but the mighty will be mightily tormented.
[tr. NJB (1985)]You rule on behalf of God and his kingdom, and if you do not govern justly, if you do not uphold the law, if you do not live according to God's will, you will suffer sudden and terrible punishment. Judgment is especially severe on those in power. Common people may be mercifully forgiven for their wrongs, but those in power will face a severe judgment.
[tr. GNT (1992 ed.)]You are merely stewards of his kingdom. If you don’t judge rightly, if you don’t keep the Law, or if you don’t act according to God’s plan, then he’ll fall upon you very suddenly and very terribly. Judgment falls hard on those in high places. Those who aren’t important may be pardoned out of compassion, but the powerful will be powerfully examined.
[tr. CEB (2011)]Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly
or keep the law
or walk according to the purpose of God,
he will come upon you terribly and swiftly,
because severe judgment falls on those in high places.
For the lowliest may be pardoned in mercy,
but the mighty will be mightily tested.
[tr. NRSV (2021 ed.)]
Quotations about:
divine
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
People encounter God under shady oak trees, on riverbanks, at the tops of mountains, and in long stretches of barren wilderness. God shows up in whirlwinds, starry skies, burning bushes, and perfect strangers. When people want to know more about God, the son of God tells them to pay attention to the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, to women kneading bread and workers lining up for their pay. Whoever wrote this stuff believed that people could learn as much about the ways of God from paying attention to the world as they could from paying attention to scripture. What is true is what happens, even if what happens is not always right. People can learn as much about the ways of God from business deals gone bad or sparrows falling to the ground as they can from reciting the books of the Bible in order. They can learn as much from a love affair or a wildflower as they can from knowing the Ten Commandments by heart.
Barbara Brown Taylor (b. 1951) American minister, academic, author
An Altar in the World, ch. 1 (2009)
(Source)
Teach me to feel another’s Woe;
To hide the Fault I see;
That Mercy I to others show,
That Mercy show to me.Alexander Pope (1688–1744) English poet
“The Universal Prayer,” 9 (1738)
It is certain that great prosperity and worldly glory are no sure tokens of God’s love.
Thomas Brooks (1608–1680) English Puritan divine, writer
A Cabinet of Jewels
It is an open question whether any behavior based on fear of eternal punishment can be regarded as ethical or should be regarded as merely cowardly.
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American anthropologist
(Attributed)
Quoted in Redbook (Feb 1971)
The wish to talk to God is absurd. We cannot talk to one we cannot comprehend — and we cannot comprehend God; we can only believe in Him. The uses of prayer are thus only subjective.
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) German philosopher
Lecture, Königsberg (1775)
The angels break into song at the sight of the throne and all the songs fit together as part of a greater song, but people seem to have to search to find the right song to sing. It is a matter of finding our proper nature.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Arn Lesikar, Belief-L listserv (6 Jun 1998)
