Afflictions of Love and the Fates of the Wicked

Afflictions come upon Israel only for their good, and afflictions come only out of love for Israel. To what may this be compared? To a king who had a servant, and a sore broke out on his foot, and the king commanded the physician to heal him and to bring him before him whole, as it is said, "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be weary of His correction" (Proverbs 3:11). What is written after it? "For whom the LORD loves He corrects, even as a father the son in whom he delights" (Proverbs 3:12). These are the afflictions of love. These are the disciples of the wise, the righteous, whose sons die in their youth, and it atones for them for their iniquities in this world, and afterward they come in purity to the life of the world to come. And even though Scripture says, "Also in your skirts is found the blood of the souls of the innocent poor" (Jeremiah 2:34), nevertheless Scripture returns and appeases their children, as it is said, "Even as a father the son in whom he delights" (Proverbs 3:12). From here they said: the righteous, their beginning is strife and their end is joy; and the wicked, their beginning is joy and their end is strife. Pharaoh king of Egypt had joy in his youth and his end was strife. In his youth what does he say? "The river is mine, and I made myself" (Ezekiel 29:3); but at his end what does it say? "Pharaoh's chariots and his army He cast into the sea" (Exodus 15:4). And so too Sennacherib had joy in his youth and his end was strife. In his youth what does he say? "Who among all the gods of the lands has delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?" (2 Kings 18:35); but at his end what does it say? "And the angel of the LORD went forth and struck in the camp of Assyria a hundred and eighty-five thousand... and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and dwelt in Nineveh; and as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword" (2 Kings 19:35-37). And so too Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had joy in his youth and his end was strife. In his youth what does he say? "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14); but at his end what does it say? "Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit" (Isaiah 14:15). And so too all the rest of the wicked of the nations: their beginning is joy and in their end they go down to Sheol. And how do you know to say thus, that the wicked of the nations go down to Sheol? Go and learn: from the day the world was created until Israel went out of Egypt and came to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, went round to every nation and tongue and told them to accept the Torah, and they did not accept it; and in every generation witnesses came and testified concerning them. And these are they: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, and Job from the land of Uz, and Beor, and Balaam son of Beor, who was the last of them all. And with what was the Torah written? You must say that the Torah was written only with the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, "From His right hand went a fiery law for them" (Deuteronomy 33:2); so too from the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, fire goes forth against the nations who go down to Sheol, as it is said, "The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God" (Psalms 9:18). Had Scripture said "The wicked shall return to Sheol" and been silent, I would have said it means the wicked of Israel and the wicked of the nations; but since it then says "all the nations that forget God," you have only those wicked ones who forget God, who are the wicked of the nations mentioned above alone. And how do you know that the righteous, their beginning is strife and their end joy? Abraham had strife in his youth and his end was joy. In his youth what does it say? "And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle" (Genesis 13:7); but at his end what does it say? "And Abraham was old, advanced in days, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things" (Genesis 24:1). And so too Isaac had strife in his youth and his end was joy. In his youth what does it say? "And the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac" (Genesis 26:20); but at his end what does it say? "And he made them a feast" (Genesis 26:30). And so too Jacob had strife in his youth and his end was joy. In his youth what does it say? "I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my cause and executes my judgment; He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness" (Micah 7:9), and it says, "I will praise You, O LORD, for though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away and You comfort me" (Isaiah 12:1); but at his end what does it say? "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation" (Isaiah 12:2).