2 Maccabees 6:12-17

New Catholic Bible

¹² Purpose of Divine Judgment.^[a] Now I urge those who read this book not to be disheartened by such calamities but to realize that these punishments were inflicted not for the destruction but for the discipline of our people. ¹³ Indeed, it is a sign of great benevolence when sinners are punished promptly rather than having their wrongful acts escape retribution for a period of time. ¹⁴ In the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them until they have reached the full measure of their sins. However, he does not deal with us in this way, ¹⁵ choosing to inflict punishment on us before our sins have reached their height so that he will not have to punish us more severely at that time. ¹⁶ Therefore, he never withdraws his mercy from us. Although he disciplines us by some misfortunes, he does not forsake his own people. ¹⁷ Let these words suffice as a reminder. Now we must proceed with our narrative.