衣索比亞馬加比三書 第 9 章

Whether it be what is in heaven, or what is on earth, whether of spirit or of flesh—all things are His, and all things stand established in His order.

And there is nothing that transgresses His bound and His command, who created all things. Even the track of the eagle in the heavens—He directs its course wherever He wills.

And the path of the serpent of the earth upon the rock He directs wherever He wills; and the path of a ship upon the sea—there is none who knows its way except God alone.

And who knows the path of the soul, when it goes forth from its flesh, except God alone—whether it be a righteous soul or a sinful soul?

And to what place it turns—whether it be in the wilderness, or upon the mountains; or whether like a bird, or like the dew of heaven that descends upon the slope of a mountain;

or whether like the deep whirlwind, or like the lightning that makes its own path straight;

or whether like the stars that shine in the deep, or like the sand on the seashore that is heaped up in the deep;

or whether like a foundation stone fixed firm in the depth of the sea, or like a tree planted by a watercourse, that gives its goodly fruit;

or whether like the reed of the sea, which the heat of the sun scorches, and the wind lifts up and carries to another place where it did not grow, and whose trace is not found?

And like the passing of cloud, whose trace is not found—who knows the way of God? And who are His counselors? And with whom did He take counsel?

And who is he that can trace His track? For the thoughts of God are hidden from the children of men.

And there is none who can comprehend the wisdom and counsel of God; for He established the earth upon the waters, and set it firm without pillars; and by the device of His wisdom He pillared the heavens upon the wind, and stretched them out like a tent over the mighty waters.

And He commanded the clouds to bring down rain upon the earth, and to make grow grass and fruits without number, for the food of the children of men, that we may rejoice together in God.

And all the blessings and abundance and plenty which God lavishes upon the children of men, that they may be satisfied and give thanks to God, who gave them of the fruit of the earth;

and He clothed them with goodly raiment, and all that is desired—blessings and delight and plenty, given to those who do the will of God.

And in the heavens also He gives them honor and grace and joy, in the dwelling He has prepared for their fathers, for those who keep the commandment of God.

And they walked in His judgment and His ordinance, and did not transgress His commandment; for He kept them, and fed them, and strengthened them, and exalted them, that they might keep His law and seek His order. And I have seen upon the earth what God does for those who love Him, by weakening their enemies and keeping their souls.

And in all things He gives them according as they ask of Him, and does their will. Do not transgress the commandment of God, but do the will of God.

And do not turn aside from His law and His commandment, lest He be angry with you, and lest He destroy you in a moment, and chastise you in His wrath, and lest you be cast out from the inheritance of your fathers which you possessed before, and lest your dwelling be in the fire of Gehenna, where you shall have no escape forever.

And before your soul departs from your flesh, keep the will of the Lord your God, that He may do good for your works when you stand before God.

For the kingdom of the heavens and the earth is His alone; and might and dominion are His; and kindness and mercy are His alone.

For He makes rich and makes poor; He humbles and exalts.

And David prophesied concerning Him, saying: Man is like vanity; his days pass away like a shadow.

But You, O Lord, abide forever, and the remembrance of You is to all generations.

And again he said: Your kingdom is a kingdom of all the world, and Your dominion endures to all generations. You took the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David.

But for You, there is none who appoints You, and none who can behold You; yet You Yourself behold all things.

And Your kingdom shall not pass away, to all generations and forever and ever; and there is none who rules over Him, but He rules over all and sees all.

And He tries the heart and the reins; for He Himself made man in His image, according to His likeness, that he might be for His praise, and that they might know the worship of Him without doubt, with an upright heart, and might not be worshipers of other gods, but of the Lord God alone, who created them and fed them and strengthened them and exalted them.

Yet they refused to worship Him who created them, and bowed down to wood and to stone, and to gold and to silver, the work of men's hands.

And they offer sacrifices to them, until the smoke of their sacrifice ascends to heaven, so that their sins stand firm before God; and He shall accuse them because of all their sins which they committed in the worship of their idols.

And they did not keep the commandment of God which they had learned, but learned to bow down to idols, and all unclean works that are unfitting—divination by the stars, sorcery, idolatry, lust, and everything that God does not delight in.

This they do, lacking good works, because they did not desire to worship God, that they might save their souls from iniquity and sin, by which they would be praised before God and His angels.

And I behold their souls naked. And when they all arise together from the ashes wherein they lay, and their bones were broken in pieces, their souls dwelt in the houses of light prepared for the good.

But the sinners are in darkness; and when the houses are opened, the bodies arise, and the souls return into the bodies from which they formerly went forth.

And they shall stand naked before God, even as they were born; and their works shall be revealed, from their infancy until that time, all that they have done.

And they shall bear their sins upon their shoulders, and shall be requited according to their works which they did, whether small or great.