title: Closest equivalent to SQLAlchemy for Java/Scala
body: <p>As someone unfamiliar with Python, I've often heard a lot of praise for SQLAlchemy. So I'd like to understand: </p>
  
  <ol>
  <li><p>What does it offer compared to "type-safe SQL builders" like <a href="http://www.jooq.org" rel="noreferrer">jOOQ</a> or <a href="http://www.querydsl.com" rel="noreferrer">QueryDSL</a>? </p></li>
  <li><p>Are there closer equivalents to it in Java (or Scala) world? I've seen <a href="http://empire-db.apache.org" rel="noreferrer">Apache Empire-DB</a> mentioned in this respect...</p></li>
  </ol>