or be
preserved, if not called by thee?

11:27. But thou sparest all: because they are thine, O Lord, who lovest
souls.

Wisdom Chapter 12

God's wisdom and mercy in his proceedings with the Chanaanites.

12:1. O how good and sweet is thy Spirit, O Lord, in all things!

12:2. 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.

12:3. For those ancient inhabitants of thy holy land, whom thou didst
abhor,

12:4. Because they did works hateful to thee by their sorceries, and
wicked sacrifices,

12:5. And those merciless murderers of their own children, and eaters of
men's bowels, and devourers of blood from the midst of thy consecration,

From the midst of thy consecration... Literally, sacrament. That is, the
land sacred to thee, in which thy temple was to be established, and
man's redemption to be wrought.

12:6. And those parents sacrificing with their own hands helpless souls,
it was thy will to destroy by the hands of our parents,

12:7. That the land which of all is most dear to thee, might receive a
worthy colony of the children of God.

12:8. Yet even those thou sparedst as men, and didst send wasps
forerunners of thy host, to destroy them by little and little.

12:9. 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:

12:10. 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.

12:11. For it was a cursed seed from the beginning: neither didst thou
for fear of any one give pardon to their sins.

12:12. 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?

12:13. For there is no other God but thou, who hast care of all, that
thou shouldst shew that thou dost not give judgment unjustly.

12:14. Neither shall king, nor tyrant, in thy sight inquire about them
whom thou hast destroyed.

12:15. 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