For the ungodly, refusing to know thee, were scourged by the strength of thy arm: The connector for may be omitted. The ungodly are the Egyptians. Good News Translation uses an effective, but idiomatic, way of introducing this: “Look at those ungodly people: they….” Refusing to know thee can be interpreted as an adverbial clause (“the ungodly, because they refused to know you”) or a relative clause (“the ungodly who refused to know you”). To know thee means, as Good News Translation has it, “to recognize you as God.” Thy arm, like “thy hand” mentioned in the previous verse, represents God’s “power” (Good News Translation). For these two lines we might suggest “The ungodly [or, Those evil people] refused to admit that you are God. So you punished them with your great power” or “You used your great power to punish the ungodly [or, those evil people], who refused to admit that you are God.”

Pursued by unusual rains and hail and relentless storms, and utterly consumed by fire: This refers to the plague of the hailstorm in Exo 9.18-26. The fire mentioned there (Exo 9.23-24) and in this account was of course lightning. Translators should use whatever word or phrase that is suitable in their language to describe lightning. In many languages “fire” will be appropriate here. Compare Psa 78.47-49; 105.32. For hail refer to 5.22. For these two lines we may translate “They could not escape from the torrential rain, the unending hailstorms, and were completely destroyed by the fires.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.