λαχών γε καιροῦ, καμ ̓ ἔχεις ξυμμάρτυρα πάντες δὲ διατελοῦμεν ἐν δεσμοῖς ἔτι.
τήνδ ̓ οὐ ξύνοιδα τὴν βλάβην εἰργασμένος,
αὐτοὶ δὲ φύλαρχοί τε καὶ δήμου πρόμοι,
οἳ καὶ μαθόντες τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥώμῃ σθένων
αὐτουργὸς οἱ ἔδρασα τοὺς ἐχθροὺς πάλαι,
δώρων ἀπηρνήσαντο μὴ δοῦναι χάριν
ἐμοὶ δὲ τἀμά γ ̓ οὐχὶ κηρύσσειν ἔδει
ἔργ ̓, αὐτὰ δ ̓ ἦν μοι μαρτύρων ἀντάξια·
οἱ δ ̓, ὡς ἐμοῦ σιγῶντος, ἠμέλουν ἀεί·
τέλος δ ̓ ἀθροισθεῖσ ̓ ἡ Φιλιστίνων βία
δεινῷ διωγμῷ τὴν πάτραν εἰσέρχεται
ἐγὼ πέτρᾳ πάρ ̓ Ἠθάμης ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ,
οὐ δραπέτης ή, πολλὰ δ ̓ ἐνθυμούμενος
πῶς ἂν δυναίμην πρὸς τὸ δεξιώτατον
ἐχθροῖς ἐπελθεῖν· ἐν δὲ τῷδε περιβαλεῖν
τοῖς ξυννόμοις με, γῆς ἀπειργαθεῖν φθορὰν,
ἔδοξ ̓· ἐπὶ ῥητοῖσι δ ̓ οὐκ ἄκων παρῆ·
αὐτοὶ δὲ βαρβάροισιν, ἀσπαστὸν γέρας,
ἔδοσάν με δισσῶν δεδεμένον σπαρτῶν πλοκαῖς·
Touched with the flame. On their whole host I flew,
Unarmed, and with a trivial weapon
Their choicest youth; they only lived who fled.
Had Judah that day joined, or one whole tribe,
They had by this possessed the towers of Gath,
And lorded over them whom now they serve.
But what more oft, in nations grown corrupt,
And by their vices brought to servitude,
Than to love bondage more than liberty?
Bondage with ease than strenuous liberty;
And to despise, or envy, or suspect
Whom God hath of his special favour raised
As their deliverer? if he aught begin
How frequent to desert him, and at last
To heap ingratitude on worthiest deeds!
Thy words to my remembrance bring
How Succoth and the fort of Penuël
Their great deliverer contemned
The matchless Gideon, in pursuit
Of Madian and her vanquished kings;
And how ingrateful Ephraim
Had dealt with Jephtha-who by argument,
τὰ δ ̓ ἡμικαύτοις ἦν ἔμοιγ ̓ ἀντίῤῥοπα
λίνοις, ἐπεσσύθην τε καὶ γυμνὸς στρατῷ,
κἄκτεινα, φλαύρου ξιφιδίου δεδραγμένος,
ἡβῶσαν ἀκμὴν τῆς πόλεως, μόνον δέ τις
φυγὼν ἐσώθη· τῶν δ ̓ Ἰουδαίων τότε
ξυνεσβαλόντων, εἴτε καὶ φυλῆς μιᾶς,
ἐκτησάμεσθ ̓ ἂν οὓς ἔχει πύργους Γάθη,
τούτων κρατοῦντες οἷσι νῦν δουλεύομεν.
ἀλλ ̓ οἷς πρόσω βέβηκε τοῦ δήμου φθορὰ,
αὐτοί γ' ἑαυτοῖς δουλίαν ἐπεισφέρειν,
θῆσσαν δοκοῦσι πολλάκις ῥᾳθυμίαν
στεῤῥοῦ προτιμῶν τῶν ἐλευθέρων πόνου·
Θεοῦ δ ̓ ἄριστα δῶρα, τοὺς ἀμύντορας,
φθονεῖν ὑποπτεύοντες, ἢ καταφρονεῖν.
ἀνθ' ὧν γὰρ εὖ δέδρακε τοιοῦτος, θαμὰ
μόνωσιν ἀντείληχε κἀχαριστίαν.
ταῦτα σοῦ κλύων Πενύελον Σούκοτον τ ̓ ἐμνησάμην, ὡς ἔθεντ ̓ ἀτημέλητον Γήδεον τὸν παμμέγαν, Μαδίων αὐτοῖς ἄναξι πρὸς φυγὴν τετραμμένων· Ἠφραημῖται δ ̓ Ἰέπτην, ὧν ἔρεξ ̓ ἀμνήμονες.
Not worse than by his shield and spear,
Defended Israel from the Ammonite-
Had not his prowess quelled their pride
In that sore battle, when so many died,
Without reprieve adjudged to death,
For want of well pronouncing Shibboleth.
Of such examples add me to the roll.
Me easily indeed mine may neglect,
But God's proposed deliverance not so.
Just are the ways of God,
And justifiable to men;
Unless there be who think not God at all.
If any be, they walk obscure;
For of such doctrine never was there school,
But the heart of the fool,
And no man therein doctor but himself.
Yet more there be who doubt his ways not just,
As to his own edicts found contradicting;
Then give the reins to wandering thought,
̓Αμμονῆτας εἴτ ̓ ἐλέγξας εἴτε νικήσας δορὶ,
κακὰ ποιεῖν ἔμελλον· οἱ δὲ τοὔμπαλιν δεδμημένοι
ἀθρίοις κλόνοις ἀφύκτου τ ̓ ἔθανον ἐν στάσει δορὸς,
Σιββόλητον ἀποτυχόντες ὥστε μὴ σκεθρώς φράσαι.
κἀμὲ δὴ τούτοισι πρόσθες, τοῖς μὲν οἰκείοις ξένον, 290 τῆς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας οὔποτε σφαλήσομαι.
τὰ Δαίμονος θέσφατ ̓ αἰὲν
ἔνδικ ̓ ἦν, τοῦτ ̓ ἔστι καὶ γνῶναι βροτοῖς,
πλὴν εἴ τις ἦν τὸ θεῖον ἐς τὸ πᾶν ἀρτ
-νούμενος μηδὲ γενέσθαι.
τῷ δὲ κατεσβήκασιν οἱ φρενῶν ὀφε
-θαλμοὶ, διάγειν τυφλόν·
τὰ δ ̓ οὐκ ἐδιδάξατ ̓ οὐτ
-δεὶς, μὴ οὐ καθ ̓ αὑτὸν αὐτοδίδακτος φρενόπληκτος τ ̓ ὧν,
κοὐ ξυμμέτοχον λάβε τᾶςδε παιδείας.
πλείους δ ̓ ἔτλησαν παρανόμων
Δαίμον ̓ ὧν ἔδρασεν, ὡς αὑτοῦ παρὲκ
θεσμούς, γράφεσθαι, νοῦν ἀδέσποτον πλατ
-νώμενοι, έλασσωθέντος
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