1 For great are thy judgments, and cannot be expressed: therefore unnurtured souls have erred.
2 For when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation; they being shut up in their houses, the prisoners of darkness, and fettered with the bonds of a long night, lay there exiled from the eternal providence.
3 For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, being horribly astonished, and troubled with strange apparitions.
4 For neither might the corner that held them keep them from fear: but noises as of waters falling down sounded about them, and sad visions appeared unto them with heavy countenances.
5 No power of the fire might give them light: neither could the bright flames of the stars endure to lighten that horrible night.
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 magick, they were put down, and their vaunting in wisdom was reproved with disgrace.
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,
10 They died for fear, denying that they saw the air, which could of no side be avoided.
11 For wickedness, condemned by her own witness, is very timorous, and being pressed with conscience, always forecasteth grievous things.
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, which was indeed intolerable, and which came upon them out of the bottoms of inevitable hell,
15 Were partly vexed with monstrous apparitions, and partly fainted, their heart failing them: for a sudden fear, and not looked for, came upon them.
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 field, he was overtaken, and endured that necessity, which could not be avoided: for they were all bound with one chain of darkness.
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 terrible sound of stones cast down, or a running that could not be seen of skipping beasts, or a roaring voice of most savage wild beasts, or a rebounding echo from the hollow mountains; these things made them to swoon for fear.
20 For the whole world shined with clear light, and none were hindered in their labour:
21 Over them only was spread an heavy night, an image of that darkness which should afterward receive them: but yet were they unto themselves more grievous than the darkness.
1 magna enim sunt iudicia tua
et inenarrabilia verba tua
propter hoc indisciplinatae animae erraverunt
2 dum enim persuasum habent iniqui posse dominari nationi sanctae
vinculis tenebrarum et longae noctis conpediti
inclusi sub tectis fugitivi perpetuae providentiae iacuerunt
3 et dum putant se latere in obscuris peccatis
tenebroso oblivionis velamento dispersi sunt
paventes horrende et cum admiratione nimia perturbati
4 neque enim quae continebat illos spelunca sine timore custodiebat
quoniam sonitus descendens perturbabat illos
et personae tristes apparentes pavorem illis praestabant
5 et ignis quidem nulla vis poterat illis
lumen praebere
nec siderum limpidae flammae inluminare poterant illam noctem horrendam
6 apparebat autem illis subitaneus ignis timore plenus
et timore percussi illius quae non videbatur
faciei
aestimabant deteriora esse quae videbantur
7 et magicae artis adpositi erant derisus
et sapientiae gloriae correptio cum contumelia
8 illi enim qui promittebant timores turbationes
expellere se ab anima languente
hi cum derisu pleni timore languebant
9 nam et si nihil illos ex monstris perturbabat
transitu animalium et serpentium sibilatione commoti
tremebundi peribant
et aerem quem nulla ratione quis effugere
posset negantes se videre
10 cum sit enim timida nequitia
dat testimonium condemnata
semper enim praesumit saeva conturbata
conscientia
11 nihil enim est timor nisi praesumptionis adiutorium
proditio cogitationis auxiliorum
12 et dum ab intro minor est expectatio
maiorem putat scientiam eius causae
de qua tormentum praestat
13 illi autem qui inpotentem vere noctem
et ab infimis et ab altissimis inferis supervenientem
eundem somnum dormientes
14 aliquando monstrorum exagitabantur timore
aliquando animae deficiebant traductione
subitaneus enim illis et insperatus timor supervenerat
15 deinde si quicumque ex illis
decidisset
custodiebatur in carcere sine ferro reclusus
16 si enim rusticus quis erat aut pastor
aut agri laborum operarius
praeoccupatus esset
ineffugibilem sustinebat
necessitatem
17 una enim catena tenebrarum omnes erant conligati
sive spiritus sibilans
aut inter spissos ramos avium sonus suavis
aut vis aquae decurrentis nimium
18 aut sonus validus praecipitarum petrarum
aut ludentium animalium cursus invisus
aut mugientium valida bestiarum vox
aut resonans de altissimis montibus echo
deficientes faciebat illos prae
timore
19 omnis enim orbis terrarum limpido luminabatur
lumine
et non inpeditis operibus continebatur
20 solis autem illis superposita erat gravis nox
imago tenebrarum quae superventura illis erat
ipsi ergo sibi erant graviores tenebris