אָמַרְתִּי אֲנִי בְּלִבִּי אֶת הַצַּדִּיק וְאֶת הָרָשָׁע יִשְׁפֹּט הָאֱלֹהִים, רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר פַּפָּא אָמַר צַדִּיק כָּרָשָׁע יִשְׁפֹּט הָאֱלֹהִים, לִסְטִים עוֹלֶה לַגַּרְדּוֹן וְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא עוֹלֶה לַגַּרְדּוֹן, וְרַבִּי אָמַר צַדִּיק בְּיַד רָשָׁע יִשְׁפֹּט הָאֱלֹהִים, טוּרְנוּסְרוֹפּוּס הָרָשָׁע דָּן אֶת רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, וּכְשֶׁהָרַג טְרַכִינוּס אֶת לוּלְיָאנוּס וְאֶת פַּפּוֹס אָחִיו בְּלוּדְקְיָיא, אָמַר לָהֶם אֵין אַתֶּם מֵעַמָּם שֶׁל חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה, וַאֲנִי מִבְּנֵי בָנָיו שֶׁל נְבוּכַדְנֶצַר, יָבוֹא אֱלֹהֵיהֶם שֶׁל חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה וְיַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדִי. אָמְרוּ לוֹ חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה כְּשֵׁרִין הָיוּ, וְהַמֶּלֶךְ נְבוּכַדְנֶצַר הָיָה מֶלֶךְ הָגוּן, וְרָאוּי הָיָה לֵעָשׂוֹת עַל יָדוֹ נֵס, אֲבָל אָנוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם חַיָּבִין אָנוּ לַמָּקוֹם, וְאַתָּה מֶלֶךְ חַיָּב וְאֵינְךָ רָאוּי לֵעָשׂוֹת נֵס עַל יָדְךָ, וְאָנוּ מְחֻיָּבֵי מִיתָה, אִם אַתָּה הוֹרְגֵנוּ מוּטָב וְאִם לָאו הַרְבֵּה אֲרָיוֹת וְדֻבִּים וּנְחָשִׁים וְעַקְרַבִּים יֵשׁ לַמָּקוֹם שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם נֶהֱרָגִין עַל יְדֵיהֶם, וְאִם אַתָּה הוֹרְגֵנוּ אֵינְךָ חָשׁוּב אֶלָּא כְּאֶחָד מֵהֶם, אֶלָּא שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עָתִיד לִתְבֹּעַ דָּמֵינוּ מִיָּדְךָ, אָמְרוּ לֹא הִסְפִּיקוּ לָזוּז מִשָּׁם עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ עָלָיו דְּיוּפְּלִי מֵרוֹמִי וְהוֹצִיאוּ אֶת מֹחוֹ בִּגְזִירִין [פרוש בבקעיות]. כִּי עֵת לְכָל חֵפֶץ וְעַל כָּל הַמַּעֲשֶׂה שָׁם, לְכָל חֵפֶץ יֵשׁ עֵת וּלְכָל עֵת יֵשׁ חֵפֶץ. וְעַל כָּל הַמַּעֲשֶׂה שָׁם, בַּהֲדֵין עַלְמָא מַה דְּאֵינָשׁ בָּעֵי הוּא עָבֵיד בְּרַם תַּמָּן דִּינָא וְחוּשְׁבְּנָא.
“I said in my heart: The righteous and the wicked, God will judge, as there is a time for every purpose and for every action there” (Ecclesiastes 3:17). “I said in my heart: The righteous and the wicked, God will judge.” Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: God will judge the righteous like the wicked; a robber goes up to the gallows and Rabbi Akiva goes up to the gallows. Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] said: God judges the righteous via the wicked. The wicked Turnusrofus judged Rabbi Akiva, and when Trajan killed Luleyanus and his brother Pappos in Laodicea, he said to them: ‘Are you not from the people of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya, and I am from the grandchildren of Nebuchadnezzar? Let the God of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya come and rescue you from my hands.’ They said to him: ‘Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya were upright, and King Nebuchadnezzar was a decent king, and he was worthy for a miracle to be performed through him. But we are people who are liable [to punishment] by the Omnipresent and you are a king who is liable [to punishment], and you are unworthy for a miracle to be performed through you. We are liable to be executed [due to our sins]. If you kill us, fine, and if not, the Omnipresent has many lions, bears, snakes, and scorpions through which people are killed. If you kill us, you are considered as nothing more than one of them; however, the Holy One blessed be He is destined to avenge our blood from your hands.’ It is said that they did not manage to move from there, before a pair of emissaries arrived from Rome and removed his [Turnusrofus’s] brain with wooden clubs. “As there is a time for every purpose and for every action there” – for every purpose there is a time, and for every time there is a purpose. “And for every action there” – in this world, what a person wishes, he does; however, he is held to account there.