16
Your strength is the very origin of doing the right thing. Because you rule over all, you spare all.
17
You show your strength to those who doubt how powerful you really are. You condemn the pride of those who should know better than to doubt you.
18
Still, though you rule absolutely, you exercise careful judgment. You govern us with amazing restraint. If you wanted to, you could do anything you wished.
19
By your actions, you taught your people that those who do what is right must always want what is best for others. Your sons and daughters saw that you give to those who have sinned a chance to change their hearts and minds. In this way you encouraged them.
20
They knew if you gave their enemies the opportunity to free themselves from evil, punishing them with such care, and even letting them go free when they clearly deserved death,
21
how much more care would you exercise in judging your children, to whose fathers you had given such rich promises by means of solemn pledges and covenants?
22
While you are disciplining us, you scourge our enemies ten thousand times as much, in order that we may keep your goodness in mind when we ourselves are passing judgment. And you teach us that when we ourselves are judged, we should expect your mercy.
23
It was for this reason that you tortured those who lived foolish and unjust lives through their own disgusting offenses.
24
They wandered far even from the normal ways in which people err! They took horrible things to be gods, the worst forms of animal life. They were deceived like foolish children.
25
So you sent your judgment upon them to mock them, treating them as if they were in fact mindless children.
26
The ones who weren't brought back to their senses by this mocking judgment would experience the just judgment of God.