Wisdom 11:15-20

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁵ In return for their foolish and wicked thoughts,
which led them astray to worship irrational serpents and worthless animals,
thou didst send upon them a multitude of irrational creatures to punish them,
¹⁶ that they might learn that one is punished by the very things by which he sins.
¹⁷ For thy all-powerful hand,
which created the world out of formless matter,
did not lack the means to send upon them a multitude of bears, or bold lions,
¹⁸ or newly created unknown beasts full of rage,
or such as breathe out fiery breath,
or belch forth a thick pall of smoke,
or flash terrible sparks from their eyes;
¹⁹ not only could their damage exterminate men,^[a]
but the mere sight of them could kill by fright.
²⁰ Even apart from these, men^[b] could fall at a single breath
when pursued by justice
and scattered by the breath of thy power.
But thou hast arranged all things by measure and number and weight.