Table of Contents
Intro
The Book of Wisdom, also called the Wisdom of Solomon, is a work of Jewish origin but today witnessed only through Greek texts. Today’s scholars attribute its composition around the half of the first century B.C. to Alexandria in Egypt, but the text is not excluded that it may have been written much earlier.
The central theme of the work is precisely “Wisdom”, and King Solomon is certainly the Biblical Patriarch who most desired and sought it during his life, also due to the long years of peace during his reign.
In this book Wisdom appears under two main aspects:
- In relation to man, that is, the perfectioning of one’s own knowledge (philosophy), a requirement that the just constantly searches for as a gift of GOD and demonstrates in everyday works.
- In direct relationship with GOD, that is the Wisdom that resides within the CREATOR from all eternity, able to connect us with the Divinity.
A text that despite it not being considered canonical by all doctrines, every believer who reads it cannot but find himself enriched and regenerated with hope and positivity.
It is one of the seven wisdom books that make up the Septuagint, the others are the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon), Job and Sirach.
It is included in the canon of deuterocanonical books of the Roman Catholic Church and anagignoskomena (Gr. ἀναγιγνωσκόμενα, which means “those to read”) of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Most Protestants consider it part of the Apocrypha. However, it is a very important book for the doctrine and formation of every believer.
Structure, genre and content
The structure can be divided into three sections:
- Book of Eschatology
- exhortation to justice
- speech of the impious, contrasts of the wicked and the just
- exhortation to wisdom
- Book of Wisdom
- Solomon’s speech concerning wisdom, wealth, power and prayer
- Book of History
- introduction, followed by diptychs of plagues
- digression on GOD’s power and mercy
- digression on false worship and further plagues
- recapitulation and concluding doxology.
The book is addressed to the rulers of the earth, urging them to love righteousness and seek wisdom; the wicked think that all is chance and that they should enjoy each day, but they are deluded. In the second section Solomon (not explicitly named, but strongly implied) tells of his search for wisdom.
The Wisdom of Solomon can be linked to several forms of ancient literature, both Jewish and non-Jewish, but it clearly belongs with biblical Wisdom books such as the Book of Job, one of only five such books among ancient Jewish literature. In terms of classical genre it has been identified as an encomium and with the Greek genre of the “exhortatory discourse”, by which a teacher attempts to persuade others to a certain course of action.
FULL TEXT
Chapter 1
Seeking GOD and fleeing from sin
1 Love righteousness, you who govern the earth; think of the LORD with uprightness, and seek Him with a sincere heart.
2 For He is found by those who do not put Him to the test, and reveals Himself to those who do not refuse to believe in Him.
3 Perverse reasoning separates from GOD, and when His omnipotence is tested, He exposes the foolish.
4 Wisdom does not enter a soul that practices evil, nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
5 For a disciplined and holy spirit will flee from deceit and depart from foolish thoughts, and will be ashamed when unrighteousness approaches.
6 For wisdom is a benevolent spirit, yet it does not acquit blasphemers of the guilt of their words; because GOD is witness to their innermost feelings, a true observer of their hearts, and a listener to their tongues.
7 For the Spirit of the LORD fills the world, and, encompassing all things, knows what is spoken,
8 therefore no one who utters unjust things can escape judgment, and justice, when it punishes, leaves nothing unexamined.
9 For inquiry will be made into the intentions of the ungodly, and an account of their words will come before the LORD to convict them of their lawless deeds;
10 because a jealous ear hears everything, and the sound of murmuring does not go unheard.
11 Therefore beware of useless murmuring, and keep your tongue from slander, because no secret word will go unpunished, and a lying mouth destroys the soul.
12 Do not invite death by the error of your life, nor bring destruction by the works of your hands;
13 because GOD did not create death¹ and does not delight in the destruction of the living.
14 For He created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them, nor does the dominion of Hades² prevail upon the earth.
15 For righteousness is immortal.
16 But the ungodly, by their words and their deeds, summoned death; considering it a friend, they drifted away and made a covenant with it, because they are fit to belong to its company.³
Chapter 2
1 They reason among themselves, but wrongly: “Our life is short and sorrowful; there is no remedy when a man dies, and no one is known who has returned from the realm of the dead.
2 We were born by mere chance, and afterward we shall be as though we had never been. The breath in our nostrils is smoke, and thought is a spark in the beating of our heart.
3 When it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes, and the spirit will disperse like thin air.
4 Our name will be forgotten in time, and no one will remember our works. Our life will pass away like the trace of a cloud,
and be scattered like mist driven away by the rays of the sun and dissolved by its heat.
5 For our existence is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return from our death, because the seal is set and no one turns back.
6 Come then, let us enjoy the good things that are present, and make use of creation with the fervor of youth.
7 Let us fill ourselves with costly wine and perfumes, and let no flower of spring pass us by;
8 let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither;
9 let none of us fail to share in our indulgence. Let us leave everywhere signs of our enjoyment, because this is our portion and our lot.
10 Let us oppress the righteous poor; let us not spare the widow nor show respect for the gray hair of the aged.
11 Let our strength be the law of justice, for weakness proves itself useless.
12 Let us lie in wait for the righteous, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law and accuses us of faults against our upbringing.
13 He professes to have knowledge of GOD and calls himself a child of the LORD.
14 He has become a reproach to our thoughts; even the sight of him is a burden to us,
15 because his life is unlike that of others, and his ways are entirely different.
16 We are considered by him as something base; he avoids our ways as unclean. He declares the end of the righteous to be blessed and boasts that GOD is his father.
17 Let us see if his words are true, and test what will happen at the end of his life.
18 For if the righteous man is a child of GOD, He will help him and deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
19 Let us test him with insult and torment, so that we may know his gentleness and examine his patience.
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for according to what he says, he will be protected.”
Error of the ungodly
21 Thus they reasoned, but they were mistaken, for their wickedness blinded them.
22 They did not know the mysteries of GOD, nor did they hope for the reward of holiness, nor did they believe in the recompense of pure souls.
23 For GOD created man for immortality and made him in the image of His own nature.
24 But death entered the world through the envy of the devil, and those who belong to him experience it.
NOTES:
1 Death came as a consequence of sin; before the breaking of the Covenant, Adam and Eve were immortal beings
2 Hades is the Greek term referring to the realm of the dead, the underworld
3 As in many biblical writings, evil is portrayed as having followers, namely those who choose the path of sin
Chapter 3
Comparison between the fate of the righteous and that of the wicked
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hands of GOD, and no torment will touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died; their end was considered a misfortune,
3 and their departure from us a ruin, but they are in peace.
4 Even if in the sight of men they are punished, their hope is full of immortality.
5 For a brief suffering they will receive great benefits, because GOD tested them and found them worthy of Himself;
6 He tried them like gold in the furnace and accepted them as a burnt offering.
7 In the time of their judgment they will shine; like sparks in the stubble, they will run to and fro.
8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the LORD will reign over them forever.
9 Those who trust in Him will understand the truth, and the faithful will abide with Him in love, because grace and mercy are reserved for His chosen ones.
10 But the wicked, according to their thoughts, will receive punishment, they who have despised the righteous and rebelled against the LORD.
11 Whoever despises wisdom and discipline is miserable. Their hope is vain, their labors are fruitless, and their works are useless.
12 Their wives are foolish, their children wicked, and their offspring accursed.
13 Blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not known a sinful bed; she will have fruit at the visitation of souls.
14 Likewise, the eunuch whose hand has committed no iniquity and who has conceived no evil thoughts against the LORD will receive a special favor for his faithfulness, a more desirable portion in the temple of the LORD;
15 for the fruit of good works is glorious, and the root of wisdom is imperishable.
16 The children of adulterers will not reach maturity, and the offspring of an unlawful union will be destroyed.
17 Even if they live long, they will be of no account, and in the end their old age will be without honor.
18 If they die young, they will have no hope nor consolation in the day of judgment,
19 for dreadful is the fate of an unrighteous generation.
Chapter 4
1 Better to be childless and to have virtue, for in the memory of it there is immortality, because it is recognized by GOD and by men.
2 When present it is imitated, when absent it is desired; in eternity it triumphs, crowned, having won the contest of blameless struggles.
3 The numerous offspring of the wicked will be of no use; from its illegitimate shoots it will not strike deep roots nor establish a secure foundation.
4 Even if for a time it puts forth branches, its unstable shoots will be shaken by the wind and uprooted by the violence of storms.
5 The tender branches will be broken, and their fruit will be useless, not ripe to eat and of no value.
6 For children born of unlawful unions bear witness to the wickedness of their parents at their judgment.
7 But the righteous, even if he dies prematurely, will find rest.
8 For honorable old age is not measured by length of time, nor is it determined by the number of years;
9 but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe old age.
10 Having become dear to GOD, he was loved by Him, and while living among sinners he was taken away.
11 He was taken up lest wickedness should change his understanding or deceit should mislead his soul,
12 for the fascination of evil corrupts what is good, and the turbulence of passion overthrows a simple mind.
13 Having reached perfection in a short time, he fulfilled a long course.
14 His soul was pleasing to the LORD; therefore He hastened to take him away from a wicked environment. The peoples saw but did not understand, nor did they take this to heart,
15 that grace and mercy are for His chosen ones and that protection is for His holy ones.
16 The righteous man who has died condemns the ungodly who are still alive; youth quickly perfected condemns the long old age of the unrighteous.
17 The crowds will see the end of the wise, but will not understand what GOD has determined for him or for what purpose the LORD has kept him safe.
18 They will see and despise, but the LORD will laugh them to scorn.
19 In the end they will become a dishonored corpse, an object of reproach among the dead forever. For GOD will cast them down headlong, speechless, and shatter them from their foundations; they will be utterly ruined, they will be in anguish, and their memory will perish.
20 They will come trembling when their sins are reckoned up, and their iniquities will rise up against them to accuse them.
Chapter 5
1 Then the righteous will stand with great confidence before those who oppressed him and those who despised his sufferings.
2 When they see him, they will be seized with terrible fear and will be amazed at his unexpected salvation.
3 Repenting, they will say among themselves, groaning in anguish of spirit:
4 “This is the one whom we once mocked and made the object of our scorn; we fools considered his life madness and his end dishonorable.
5 Why is he now counted among the children of GOD and shares the lot of the saints?
6 Therefore we strayed from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine for us, nor did the sun rise upon us.
7 We took our fill in the paths of wickedness and destruction; we wandered through trackless deserts, but we did not know the way of the LORD.
8 What did our pride profit us? What did wealth with arrogance bring us?
9 All those things have passed away like a shadow and like a fleeting report,
10 like a ship that sails through troubled water, whose passage leaves no trace, nor the track of its keel upon the waves;
11 or like a bird that flies through the air and no sign of its path is found, for the light air, struck by the beating of wings and parted by their force, is traversed, yet afterward no trace of its passage is seen;
12 or like when an arrow is shot at a target, the air is parted and then immediately returns to itself, so that its path cannot be traced:
13 so we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be; we had no sign of virtue to show, but were consumed in our wickedness.”
14 The hope of the ungodly is like chaff carried by the wind, like light foam driven by the storm, like smoke scattered by the wind; it vanishes like the memory of a guest who stays but a day.
15 But the righteous live forever, and their reward is with the LORD, and the Most High takes care of them.
16 Therefore they will receive a glorious royal crown and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the LORD, because He will protect them with His right hand and shield them with His arm.
17 He will take His zeal as armor and will arm creation to punish His enemies;
18 He will put on righteousness as a breastplate and wear impartial judgment as a helmet;
19 He will take invincible holiness as a shield;
20 He will sharpen His relentless wrath like a sword, and the world will fight with Him against the foolish.
21 The unerring shafts of lightning will fly, and like arrows from a well-drawn bow, from the clouds they will strike the target;
22 hailstones full of fury will be hurled as from a sling. The water of the sea will rage against them, and rivers will overwhelm them without mercy.
23 A mighty wind will rise against them and scatter them like a storm. Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth, and wickedness will overthrow the thrones of the mighty.
Chapter 6
Kings must seek wisdom
1 Listen, O kings, and understand; learn, rulers of the ends of the earth.
2 Give ear, you who rule over multitudes and boast of the great number of your peoples.
3 Your dominion was given you by the LORD, and your sovereignty by the Most High, who will examine your works and scrutinize your plans;
4 because, though you are ministers of His kingdom, you did not rule rightly, nor did you keep the law, nor walk according to the will of GOD.
5 With terror and swiftly He will come against you, because severe judgment is executed on those in high places.
6 The lowly may be pardoned in mercy, but the mighty will be tested rigorously.
7 For the LORD of all will not show partiality, nor fear greatness, because He made both small and great and cares equally for all.
8 But a strict inquiry awaits the mighty.
9 To you then, O rulers, my words are directed, that you may learn wisdom and not fall away.
10 Those who keep holy things in holiness will be made holy, and those who are instructed in them will find a defense.
11 Therefore desire my words; long for them, and you will be instructed.
12 Wisdom is radiant and unfading, easily seen by those who love her and found by those who seek her.
13 She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
14 Whoever rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his door.
15 To meditate on her is perfection of understanding, and whoever keeps watch for her will soon be free from care.
16 She herself goes about seeking those who are worthy of her, graciously appearing to them in their paths and meeting them with all kindness.
17 For the beginning of her is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love;
18 and love is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,
19 and immortality brings one near to GOD.
20 Therefore the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.
21 If then you delight in thrones and scepters, O rulers of the peoples, honor wisdom, that you may reign forever.
22 I will declare what wisdom is and how she came to be; I will not hide her mysteries from you. I will trace her course from the beginning and make knowledge of her clear; I will not depart from the truth.
23 I will not walk with consuming envy, for envy has nothing in common with wisdom.
24 A multitude of the wise is the salvation of the world, and a sensible king is the stability of his people.
25 Therefore be instructed by my words, and you will profit.
Chapter 7
Solomon was but a man
1 I also am a mortal man like all others, a descendant of the first man formed from the earth. I was fashioned in flesh in a mother’s womb,
2 during ten months consolidated in blood, from the seed of a man and the pleasure that accompanies sleep.
3 And when I was born, I too breathed the common air and fell upon the same earth as all others, and my first cry was like that of all.
4 I was nursed in swaddling clothes and with care;
5 no king had a different beginning of existence.
6 There is one entrance into life, and one way out.
Esteem of Solomon for wisdom
7 Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given to me; I called upon GOD, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
8 I preferred her to scepters and thrones, and I counted wealth as nothing in comparison with her;
9 I did not even compare her with any priceless gem, because all gold in comparison with her is a little sand, and silver will be regarded as clay before her.
10 I loved her more than health and beauty, and I chose to have her rather than light, because her radiance never ceases.
11 All good things came to me along with her, and in her hands are innumerable riches.
12 I rejoiced in all these things because wisdom guides them; but I did not know that she is their mother.
13 I learned without deceit, and I share without envy; I do not hide her riches.
14 For she is an unfailing treasure for men; those who obtain her gain the friendship of GOD, being commended to Him by the gifts that come from her instruction.
Invocation for divine inspiration
15 May GOD grant me to speak with judgment and to have thoughts worthy of what I have received, for He is the guide even of wisdom and the director of the wise.
16 For both we and our words are in His hand, as well as all understanding and skill in crafts.
17 For He has given me unerring knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements,
18 the beginning and the end and the middle of times, the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,
19 the cycles of the year and the positions of the stars,
20 the natures of animals and the instincts of wild beasts, the powers of spirits and the thoughts of men, the varieties of plants and the properties of roots.
21 I learned both what is hidden and what is manifest, for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.
Praise of wisdom
22 In her there is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, penetrating, undefiled, clear, harmless, loving the good, keen,
23 free, beneficent, kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, all-powerful, all-seeing, and pervading all spirits that are intelligent, pure, and most subtle.
24 For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her purity she pervades and penetrates all things.
25 For she is a breath of the power of GOD and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.
26 For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of GOD, and an image of His goodness.
27 Though she is one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; and in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of GOD and prophets.
28 For GOD loves nothing so much as the one who lives with wisdom.
29 She is more beautiful than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars; compared with the light, she is found to be superior,
30 for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail.
Chapter 8
1 She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well.
Wisdom as the ideal bride for Solomon
2 Her I loved and sought from my youth; I desired to take her for my bride, and I became enamored of her beauty.
3 She glorifies her noble birth by living with GOD, and the LORD of all loves her.
4 For she is initiated into the knowledge of GOD, and she chooses His works.
5 If riches are a desirable possession in life, what is richer than wisdom, who produces all things?
6 And if understanding is effective, who more than she is the artisan of what exists?
7 And if anyone loves righteousness, her labors are virtues; for she teaches self-control and prudence, justice and courage; nothing in life is more useful for men than these.
8 And if anyone desires wide experience, she knows things of old and infers things to come; she understands subtle arguments and resolves riddles; she foresees signs and wonders and the outcomes of times and ages.
Wisdom as indispensable for rulers
9 Therefore I decided to take her to live with me, knowing that she would be my counselor for good and a comfort in cares and grief.
10 Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes and honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young.
11 I shall be found keen in judgment, and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired.
12 When I am silent, they will wait for me; and when I speak, they will give heed to me; if I speak at greater length, they will lay their hands on their mouths.
13 Because of her I shall have immortality and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me.
14 I shall govern peoples, and nations will be subject to me;
15 terrible rulers will be afraid when they hear of me; among the people I shall show myself good, and in war courageous.
16 When I go home, I shall find rest with her, for companionship with her has no bitterness, and living with her has no pain, but gladness and joy.
Solomon asks for wisdom
17 Reflecting on these things in myself and considering in my heart that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality
18 and in her friendship great delight and in the work of her hands unfailing riches and in constant association with her prudence and in sharing her words good repute, I went about seeking how to take her to myself.
19 I was a child of good disposition, and I had a good soul,
20 or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.
21 But knowing that I would not possess her unless GOD gave her to me—and it was already a mark of understanding to know whose gift she was—I went to the LORD and prayed, and said with all my heart:
Chapter 9
Prayer for wisdom
1 “O GOD of my fathers and LORD of mercy, who hast made all things by Thy word,
2 and by Thy wisdom hast formed man to have dominion over the creatures Thou hast made,
3 and to rule the world in holiness and righteousness and to pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,
4 give me the wisdom that sits by Thy throne, and do not reject me from among Thy children,
5 for I am Thy servant and the son of Thy handmaid, a man weak and short-lived, with little understanding of judgment and laws;
6 for even if one is perfect among the sons of men, yet without the wisdom that comes from Thee he will be regarded as nothing.
7 Thou hast chosen me to be king of Thy people and to be judge of Thy sons and daughters;
8 Thou hast given command to build a temple on Thy holy mountain and an altar in the city of Thy dwelling place, a copy of the holy tent that Thou didst prepare from the beginning.
9 With Thee is wisdom, who knows Thy works and was present when Thou didst make the world, and who understands what is pleasing in Thy sight and what is right according to Thy commandments.
10 Send her forth from the holy heavens, and from the throne of Thy glory send her, that she may labor at my side, and that I may learn what is pleasing to Thee.
11 For she knows and understands all things, and she will guide me prudently in my actions and guard me with her glory.
12 Thus my works will be acceptable, and I shall judge Thy people justly and be worthy of the throne of my father.
13 For what man can learn the counsel of GOD? Or who can discern what the LORD wills?
14 For the reasoning of mortals is worthless and our designs are likely to fail,
15 because a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthly tent burdens the thoughtful mind.
16 We can scarcely guess at what is on earth, and what is at hand we find with labor; but who has traced out what is in the heavens?
17 Who has learned Thy counsel, unless Thou hast given wisdom and sent Thy holy spirit from on high?
18 Thus the ways of those on earth were corrected, and men were taught what is pleasing to Thee, and were saved by wisdom.”
Chapter 10
From Adam to Moses
1 She protected the father of the world, formed first by GOD, when he had been created alone; then she delivered him from his transgression
2 and gave him strength to rule over all things.
3 But an unrighteous man, departing from her in his anger, perished because of his fratricidal rage.
4 Because of him the earth was flooded, but wisdom again saved it, steering the righteous man by means of a simple piece of wood.
5 She, when the nations were thrown into confusion, united only in wickedness, recognized the righteous man and preserved him blameless before GOD and kept him strong despite his tenderness for his son.
6 And while the wicked were perishing, she rescued a righteous man, who fled the fire that fell upon the five cities.
7 As testimony against that wicked people there still remains a desolate land, smoking, with trees bearing fruit that does not ripen, and, as a memorial of an unbelieving soul, a pillar of salt stands.
8 For by departing from wisdom, they not only suffered the harm of failing to know the good, but also left to the living a memorial of their folly, so that their faults might not remain hidden.
9 But wisdom delivered her worshipers from sufferings:
10 she guided the righteous man, fleeing from his brother’s anger, on straight paths; she showed him the kingdom of GOD and gave him knowledge of holy things; she prospered him in his labors and multiplied the fruit of his work.
11 She stood by him against the greed of his oppressors and made him rich;
12 she guarded him from enemies, protected him from those who lay in wait for him, and awarded him victory in a hard struggle, so that he might know that godliness is more powerful than all else.
13 She did not forsake the righteous man when he was sold, but preserved him from sin.
14 She went down with him into the prison and did not leave him while he was in chains, until she brought him a royal scepter and authority over his adversaries, exposed as liars those who accused him, and gave him everlasting glory.
The Exodus
15 She delivered a holy people and a blameless race from a nation of oppressors.
16 She entered the soul of a servant of the LORD and with wonders and signs opposed terrible kings.
17 She gave the holy ones the reward of their labors, guided them by a marvelous road, became a shelter to them by day and a starry light by night.
18 She brought them across the Red Sea, leading them through many waters;
19 but she drowned their enemies and cast them up from the depths of the abyss.
20 Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly, and they celebrated, O LORD, Your holy name and with one accord praised Your protecting hand,
21 because wisdom had opened the mouths of the mute and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.
Chapter 11
1 She made their works prosper through a holy prophet:
2 they crossed an uninhabited desert, pitched their tents in impassable places,
3 stood against their enemies, and repelled their foes.
The miracle of water. First retribution
4 When they were thirsty, they called upon You, and water was given them from a steep rock, a remedy for thirst from a hard stone.
5 What had served to punish their enemies became, in their need, a benefit for them.
6 Instead of the ever-flowing stream of a river, troubled with foul blood,
7 in punishment for an infanticidal decree, You unexpectedly gave them abundant water,
8 showing by their former thirst how You had punished their adversaries.
9 For when they were tested, though chastened in mercy, they understood what torments the ungodly suffered when judged in wrath,
10 because You tested the former as a father who disciplines, but the latter You examined as a stern king who condemns.
11 Whether absent or present, they were equally distressed,
12 for a double grief came upon them and groaning at the memory of the past.
13 For when they learned that through their punishment the others received benefits, they perceived the presence of the LORD;
14 for the one whom they had once exposed and then rejected with mockery, they admired at the end of events, after they had suffered a thirst very different from that of the righteous.
Divine moderation toward Egypt
15 For through the foolish reasoning of their unrighteousness, misled by them, they worshiped irrational reptiles and worthless creatures. You sent upon them as punishment a multitude of irrational animals,
16 so that they might learn that by the very things through which one sins, by these also one is punished.
17 Surely Your almighty hand, which had created the world out of formless matter, had no difficulty in sending against them a multitude of bears and fierce lions,
18 or unknown beasts newly created, full of rage, or breathing fiery breath, or sending forth pestilential fumes, or flashing dreadful sparks from their eyes,
19 beasts whose attack could not only destroy them, but whose terrifying appearance could annihilate them.
20 Even apart from this, they could have fallen by a single breath, pursued by justice and scattered by the spirit of Your power. But You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight.
Reasons for this moderation
21 To show strength is always possible for You; who can resist the might of Your arm?
22 For the whole world before You is like a speck of dust on the scales, and like a drop of morning dew that falls upon the earth.
23 But You have mercy on all, because You can do all things, and You overlook men’s sins so that they may repent.
24 For You love all things that exist and despise nothing that You have made; for if You had hated anything, You would not have made it.
25 How could anything have endured if You had not willed it? Or how would anything have been preserved if it had not been called into being by You?
26 You spare all things, because they are Yours, O LORD, lover of life,
Chapter 12
1 for Your incorruptible spirit is in all things.
2 Therefore You correct little by little those who trespass, and You remind and warn them of the things in which they sin, so that they may abandon wickedness and believe in You, O LORD.
Moderation of GOD toward Canaan
3 For You hated the ancient inhabitants of Your holy land,
4 because they practiced detestable deeds, acts of sorcery and unholy rites.
5 Those merciless murderers of children, devourers of entrails in feasts of human flesh, initiates in orgiastic rites,
6 those parents who murdered helpless lives, You willed to destroy by the hands of our fathers,
7 so that the land most precious to You of all others might receive a worthy colony of the children of GOD.
8 Yet even these, since they were men, You spared, sending wasps as forerunners of Your army, to destroy them little by little.
9 Though You could have delivered the ungodly into the hands of the righteous in battle, or destroyed them with fierce beasts or instantly with a relentless command,
10 yet by judging them little by little You gave them opportunity to repent, though You were not unaware that their race was evil and their wickedness inborn and that their way of thinking would never change,
11 because they were a cursed seed from the beginning.
Reasons for this moderation
12 It was not out of fear of anyone that You left their sins unpunished.
13 For who will say, “What have You done?” Or who will resist Your judgment? Who will accuse You for the destruction of nations that You made? Or who will stand before You as defender of unjust men?
14 For neither is there any GOD besides You whose care is for all, to whom You should prove that You have not judged unjustly;
15 nor can any king or tyrant confront You on behalf of those whom You have punished.
16 Since You are righteous, You govern all things righteously. To condemn one who does not deserve punishment You consider contrary to Your power.
17 For Your strength is the source of righteousness, and Your sovereignty over all causes You to spare all.
18 You show Your strength when men doubt the completeness of Your power, and You rebuke the insolence of those who know it.
19 But You, master of power, judge with mildness, and with great forbearance You govern us, for You have power to act whenever You will.
Divine lessons for Israel
20 By acting in this way You taught Your people that the righteous must love mankind, and You filled Your sons with good hope, because after sins You grant repentance.
21 For if You punished with such great care and indulgence the enemies of Your children, who were deserving of death, giving them time and opportunity to turn away from their wickedness,
22 with what attentiveness did You judge Your sons, with whose fathers You made covenants and oaths of good promises?
23 So while You discipline us, You scourge our enemies ten thousand times more, so that when we judge, we may reflect on Your goodness, and when judged, we may hope for mercy.
Again the Egyptians. Their punishment is progressive
24 Therefore those who lived unrighteously in foolishness You tormented through their own abominations.
25 For they had wandered too far in the paths of error, taking as gods the most despicable and loathsome animals, deceived like foolish children.
26 Therefore, as to senseless children, You sent them a judgment for mockery.
27 But those who are not corrected by a punishment of mockery will experience a judgment worthy of GOD.
28 For when they suffered because of the creatures they regarded as gods, punished by the very things they thought divine, they understood and recognized the true GOD, whom before they had refused to know. Therefore the utmost condemnation came upon them.
Chapter 13
The case against idolatry. Deification of nature
1 For all men were by nature foolish who were ignorant of GOD, and from the good things that are seen they failed to know Him who is, nor did they recognize the craftsman while paying heed to His works.
2 But they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air, or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water, or the lights of heaven were the gods that rule the world.
3 If, delighted by their beauty, they thought them gods, let them know how much better than these is their Lord, for the author of beauty created them.
4 And if they were amazed at their power and working, let them perceive from them how much more powerful is He who formed them.
5 For from the greatness and beauty of created things their original author is seen by analogy.
6 Yet for these men the blame is less; for perhaps they go astray while seeking GOD and desiring to find Him.
7 For while they live among His works they search diligently, yet they are led astray by appearances, because the things seen are beautiful.
8 Yet even they are not to be excused,
9 for if they were able to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner its Lord?
The worship of idols
10 But miserable are those whose hopes are set on dead things, who called gods the works of men’s hands, gold and silver fashioned with skill, and likenesses of animals, or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.
11 For if a skilled woodworker cuts down a suitable tree and carefully strips off all its bark and works it skillfully, he makes a useful vessel fit for the service of life;
12 then using the refuse of his work for the preparation of food, he satisfies his appetite.
13 And taking what remains, good for nothing, a crooked piece of wood full of knots, he carves it while passing his leisure, and by the skill of his idleness he shapes it and forms it like the image of a man
14 or gives it the likeness of some worthless animal. He paints it with vermilion and reddens its surface, and covers every blemish upon it with paint;
15 then he makes a fitting shrine for it and sets it in a wall, fastening it with iron.
16 He takes care that it may not fall, knowing that it cannot help itself; for it is only an image and has need of help.
17 Yet when he prays concerning possessions and marriage and children, he is not ashamed to address an inanimate thing; for health he appeals to a weak thing,
18 for life he prays to the dead; for aid he entreats one wholly helpless, for a journey one that cannot take a step;
19 for gain and work and success with his hands he asks strength from one whose hands have no strength at all.
Chapter 14
1 Again, one preparing to sail and about to voyage through wild waves calls upon a piece of wood more fragile than the ship that carries him.
2 For this ship was devised by desire for gain, and the builder’s wisdom constructed it;
3 but it is Your providence, O Father, that guides it, because You have given a path even in the sea and a safe way through the waves,
4 showing that You can save from every danger, so that even a man without skill may put to sea.
5 It is Your will that the works of Your wisdom should not be without effect; therefore men entrust their lives even to a small piece of wood, and passing through the billows on a raft, they are saved.
6 For even in the beginning, when proud giants were perishing, the hope of the world took refuge on a raft and, guided by Your hand, left to the world the seed of a new generation.
7 For blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,
8 but the handmade idol is accursed, and so is he who made it; he because he made it, and it because, though corruptible, it was called a god.
9 For equally hateful to GOD are the ungodly man and his ungodliness,
10 and what has been made will be punished together with the one who made it.
11 Therefore there will be a visitation also upon the idols of the nations, because among the creatures of GOD they have become an abomination, a stumbling block to the souls of men, and a trap for the feet of the foolish.
Origin of idol worship
12 For the invention of idols was the beginning of fornication, and the discovery of them was the corruption of life.
13 For they did not exist from the beginning, nor will they exist forever.
14 It was through the vanity of men that they entered the world, and therefore their speedy end has been decreed.
15 For a father, worn out by untimely grief, made an image of his child quickly taken away, and he now honored as a god what was once a dead man, and handed on to those under him secret rites and initiations.
16 Then the ungodly custom, grown strong with time, was kept as law.
17 And by command of rulers carved images were worshiped, and men who could not honor them in person because they lived far away copied from afar the visible appearance of the king whom they honored, making a visible image of the king they revered, so that by zeal they might flatter the absent one as though present.
18 Then the ambition of the craftsman also helped to promote the worship among those who did not know the king.
19 For wishing perhaps to please one in authority, he skillfully forced the likeness into a more beautiful form,
20 and the multitude, attracted by the charm of the workmanship, now regarded as an object of worship the one whom shortly before they had honored as a man.
21 And this became a snare to the living, because men, enslaved either by misfortune or by tyranny, conferred on stones and wood the incommunicable Name.
Consequences of idol worship
22 Then it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of GOD, but though living in a great war of ignorance, they call such great evils peace.
23 For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret mysteries, or hold frenzied revels with strange customs,
24 they no longer keep either lives or marriages pure, but one kills another treacherously, or grieves him by adultery.
25 All is confusion without exception: blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury,
26 confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors, defiling of souls, sexual perversion, disorder in marriage, adultery and debauchery.
27 For the worship of nameless idols is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
28 For their worshipers either rave in exultation, or prophesy lies, or live unrighteously, or lightly commit perjury,
29 for because they trust in lifeless idols, they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm.
30 But just penalties will overtake them on two counts: because they thought wrongly about GOD in devoting themselves to idols, and because in deceit they swore unrighteously through contempt for holiness.
31 For it is not the power of the things by which men swear, but the just penalty for those who sin, that always pursues the transgression of the unrighteous.
Chapter 15
Israel is not idolatrous
1 But You, our GOD, are kind and true, patient, and governing all things in mercy.
2 For even if we sin, we are Yours, knowing Your power; but we will not sin, because we know that we are counted as Yours.
3 For to know You is complete righteousness, and to know Your power is the root of immortality.
4 For neither the evil contrivance of human art led us astray, nor the fruitless labor of painters, a figure stained with varied colors,
5 whose appearance arouses longing in fools, so that they desire the lifeless form of a dead image.
6 Lovers of evil and worthy of such hopes are those who either make or desire or worship them.
Folly of idol makers
7 For a potter, kneading soft earth laboriously, molds every vessel for our service; but from the same clay he fashions both the vessels that serve clean uses and those for contrary uses, making them all in the same way; and which shall be the use of each of them the potter decides.
8 Then with misdirected toil he forms from the same clay a vain god, he who was shortly before made from earth and after a little while returns to the earth from which he was taken, when the life lent to him is demanded back.
9 Yet he is not concerned that he must die or that his life is short, but he contends with goldsmiths and silversmiths and imitates workers in bronze and counts it his glory that he molds counterfeit gods.
10 His heart is ashes, his hope is more worthless than dirt, and his life of less worth than clay,
11 because he failed to know the One who formed him and inspired him with an active soul and breathed into him a living spirit.
12 But he considered our existence an idle game, and life a festival held for profit, for he says one must get profit from everything, even from evil.
13 For this man, more than all others, knows that he sins, when from earthly matter he makes fragile vessels and graven images.
Folly of the Egyptians: their universal idolatry
14 But most foolish, and more miserable than an infant soul, are all the enemies of Your people who oppressed them.
15 For they regarded all the idols of the nations as gods, though these have neither the use of eyes for seeing, nor nostrils for drawing breath, nor ears for hearing, nor fingers of hands for handling; and their feet are useless for walking.
16 For a man made them, and one whose spirit is borrowed formed them; no man can form a god like himself.
17 Being mortal, he makes with lawless hands a dead thing, for he is better than the objects he worships, since he has life, but they never have.
18 They even worship the most hateful animals, which by comparison are worse than all others in senselessness;
19 nor are they beautiful enough in appearance to be desired, as is the case with some other animals; and they have escaped both the praise of GOD and His blessing.
Chapter 16
Second retribution: the frogs
1 Therefore they were deservedly punished by creatures like these and tormented by a multitude of animals.
2 Instead of this punishment, You benefited Your people, and to satisfy the desire of their appetite You prepared quail for them as food, a delicacy.
3 So that those men, when they desired food, might lose even the craving natural to them because of the loathsome creatures sent among them; while these, after suffering want for a short time, might partake of strange food.
4 For it was necessary that unavoidable want should come upon the oppressors, while to these it should only be shown how their enemies were tormented.
Third retribution: locusts and the bronze serpent
5 For when the terrible rage of wild beasts came upon them and they were being destroyed by the bites of twisting serpents, Your wrath did not continue to the end.
6 They were troubled for a little while as a warning, and had a symbol of salvation to remind them of the commandment of Your law.
7 For he who turned toward it was saved, not by what he saw, but by You, the Savior of all.
8 And by this also You convinced our enemies that it is You who deliver from every evil.
9 For they were killed by the bites of locusts and flies, and no healing was found for them, because they deserved to be punished by such things;
10 but not even the teeth of venomous serpents overcame Your children, for Your mercy came to their help and healed them.
11 For they were bitten, that they might remember Your words, and were quickly delivered, lest they should fall into deep forgetfulness and become unresponsive to Your kindness.
12 For neither herb nor poultice cured them, but Your word, O LORD, which heals all things.
13 For You have power over life and death; You lead men down to the gates of Hades and bring them up again.
14 A man in his wickedness can kill, but he cannot bring back the departed spirit, nor set free the soul already taken into Hades.
Fourth retribution: hail and manna
15 It is impossible to escape Your hand:
16 for the ungodly, refusing to know You, were scourged by the strength of Your arm, pursued by unusual rains and hail and relentless storms, and consumed by fire.
17 For, most incredible of all, in the water, which quenches all things, the fire had still greater effect; for the world fights on behalf of the righteous.
18 At one time the flame was restrained, so as not to consume the creatures sent against the ungodly, so that they themselves might see and know that they were being pursued by the judgment of GOD;
19 and at another time even in the midst of water it burned more intensely than fire, to destroy the produce of an unrighteous land.
20 Instead of these things You fed Your people with the food of angels, and without their toil You supplied them from heaven with bread ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste.
21 For Your sustenance manifested Your sweetness toward Your children; and the bread, ministering to the desire of the one who took it, was changed to suit every man’s liking.
22 Snow and ice endured fire and did not melt, so that they might know that the fire, burning in the hail and flashing in the rain, destroyed the fruits of the enemies;
23 but this very fire forgot its own power, so that the righteous might be nourished.
24 For creation, serving You who made it, exerts itself to punish the unrighteous, and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in You.
25 Therefore at that time also, adapting itself to all things, it served Your all-nourishing bounty according to the desire of those who had need,
26 so that Your children whom You loved, O LORD, might learn that it is not the growth of crops that nourishes man, but that Your word preserves those who trust in You.
27 For what was not destroyed by fire melted when simply warmed by a fleeting ray of the sun,
28 so that it might be known that one must rise before the sun to give You thanks and must pray to You at the dawning of the light;
29 for the hope of the ungrateful melts like winter frost and runs away like water that is of no use.
Chapter 17
Fifth retribution: darkness and the pillar of fire
1 Great are Your judgments and hard to explain; therefore untaught souls have gone astray.
2 For when lawless men supposed that they held the holy nation in their power, they themselves lay as prisoners of darkness and fettered by a long night, shut in under their roofs, exiles from eternal providence.
3 For while they supposed that in their secret sins they were unnoticed, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, terrified and alarmed by strange apparitions.
4 For not even the inner chamber that held them protected them from fear, but terrifying sounds echoed around them, and gloomy phantoms with downcast faces appeared.
5 No power of fire could give them light, nor could the brilliant flames of the stars illumine that horrible night.
6 They saw only a sudden, fearsome blaze of fire, and, terrified by that which they did not see, they considered what they did see still worse.
7 And the delusions of their magic art lay humbled, and their boasted wisdom was shamefully rebuked.
8 For those who promised to drive away fears and troubles from a sick soul were themselves sick with ridiculous fear.
9 For even if nothing alarming terrified them, they were frightened by the passing of animals and the hissing of serpents, and they perished in trembling, refusing even to look at the air, though it could nowhere be avoided.
10 For wickedness, condemned by her own witness, is cowardly, and being pressed by conscience, always forecasts the worst.
11 For fear is nothing but the surrender of the helps that come from reason;
12 and hope, defeated from within, counts ignorance of the cause of suffering as more serious.
13 During that night, powerless indeed, which came upon them out of the depths of powerless Hades, they all slept the same sleep,
14 and were now driven by monstrous apparitions, now paralyzed by the surrender of their soul; for sudden and unexpected fear overwhelmed them.
15 And whoever happened to be there fell and was imprisoned in a prison without bars,
16 whether farmer or shepherd or laborer toiling alone, he was overtaken and endured the unavoidable necessity, because all were bound with one chain of darkness.
17 Whether it was the whistling wind, or the melodious song of birds among dense branches, or the sound of violently rushing water, or the harsh crash of falling rocks,
18 or the unseen running of leaping animals, or the roaring voice of most savage beasts, or an echo thrown back from hollow mountains, it paralyzed them with fear.
19 For the whole world was illumined with brilliant light and was busied with unhindered work;
20 but over them alone heavy night was spread, an image of the darkness that was to receive them. Yet they were more burdensome to themselves than darkness.
Chapter 18
1 But for Your holy ones there was very great light; and those others, hearing their voices but not seeing their forms, counted them blessed because they had not suffered as they had,
2 and were thankful that they, though previously harmed, did not retaliate, and they begged forgiveness for having been at enmity with them.
3 Instead of darkness You gave them a pillar of fire, both as a guide for an unknown journey and as a harmless sun for their glorious wandering.
4 For those men deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness, since they had kept Your sons confined, through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to the world.
Sixth retribution: night of tragedy and freedom
5 When they had resolved to kill the infants of the holy ones, and one child had been exposed and rescued, You in punishment took away a multitude of their children and destroyed them all together in mighty water.
6 That night was made known beforehand to our fathers, so that, knowing surely to what oaths they had given credence, they might take courage.
7 So Your people awaited the salvation of the righteous and the destruction of the enemies.
8 For by the very means by which You punished our enemies, You called us to Yourself and glorified us.
9 For the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice in secret, and with one accord they agreed to this divine law, that the saints would equally share the same blessings and dangers, and already were singing the praises of the fathers.
10 But the discordant cry of enemies rang out, and the pitiable lament of those mourning their children spread abroad.
11 The slave and the master alike were punished with the same punishment, and the commoner suffered the same as the king.
12 And all together had innumerable dead in one kind of death, and the living were not enough to bury them, because in one moment their most honored offspring had been destroyed.
13 For though they had remained disbelieving because of their sorceries, at the destruction of the firstborn they acknowledged this people to be God’s son.
14 For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone,
15 Your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the doomed land, a stern warrior carrying the sharp sword of Your authentic command,
16 and standing, it filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth.
17 Then suddenly visions in terrible dreams troubled them, and unexpected fears came upon them.
18 And one here, another there, hurled down half dead, made known why he was dying;
19 for the dreams that disturbed them had forewarned them, so that they might not perish without knowing why they suffered.
Threat of destruction in the wilderness
20 The experience of death touched the righteous also, and a plague came upon the multitude in the wilderness, but the wrath did not continue long.
21 For a blameless man hastened to be their champion, bringing the shield of his ministry, prayer and propitiation by incense; he withstood the wrath and put an end to the calamity, showing that he was Your servant.
22 He conquered the anger not by bodily strength, nor by force of arms, but by his word he subdued the one who punished, reminding Him of oaths and covenants made with the fathers.
23 For when the dead had already fallen one upon another in heaps, he stood between and checked the wrath and cut off its way to the living.
24 For on his long robe the whole world was depicted, and the glories of the fathers were engraved on the four rows of precious stones, and Your majesty was upon the crown on his head.
25 To these the destroyer yielded, these he feared; for the mere trial of the wrath was enough.
Chapter 19
Seventh retribution: the Red Sea
1 But upon the ungodly wrath came without mercy until the end, for GOD knew beforehand even their future actions,
2 namely that, though they themselves had permitted Your people to depart and had sent them out in haste, they would change their minds and pursue them.
3 For while they were still engaged in mourning and lamenting at the graves of the dead, they conceived another foolish plan and pursued as fugitives those whom they had begged and compelled to depart.
4 For a deserved fate drew them on to this end and made them forget what had happened, so that they might fill up the punishment that their torments still lacked,
5 and that while Your people were experiencing an incredible journey, they themselves might meet a strange death.
6 For the whole creation in its own nature was fashioned anew again, obeying Your commands, so that Your children might be kept unharmed.
7 The cloud was seen overshadowing the camp, and dry land emerging where water had stood before, and an unhindered way out of the Red Sea, and a grassy plain out of the violent surge,
8 through which the whole nation passed, protected by Your hand, after they had seen marvelous wonders.
9 For they ranged like horses, and leaped like lambs, praising You, O LORD, who had delivered them.
10 For they still remembered the events of their sojourn, how the land, instead of bringing forth cattle, produced gnats, and the river, instead of fish, cast up a multitude of frogs.
11 Later they saw also a new generation of birds, when, driven by appetite, they asked for luxurious food;
12 for to satisfy them quails came up from the sea.
Egypt more guilty than Sodom
13 Punishments came upon the sinners not without warning signs from the violence of thunder, for they justly suffered for their own wicked acts, since they had practiced a more bitter hatred of strangers.
14 Others had refused to receive unknown guests, but these made slaves of guests who were their benefactors.
15 And not only so, but punishment of some sort will come upon the former for receiving strangers with hostility;
16 but these, after they had welcomed them with festal celebrations, oppressed with terrible labors those who had already shared the same rights.
17 Therefore they were struck with blindness, just as those others were at the doors of the righteous man, when, surrounded by deep darkness, each sought the way to his own door.
A new harmony
18 For the elements changed places among themselves, as on a harp the notes vary the nature of the rhythm, though each note remains the same. And this may clearly be inferred from the sight of what happened:
19 land animals were transformed into water creatures, and creatures that swim moved over to the land.
20 Fire even in water retained its normal strength, and water forgot its fire-quenching nature.
21 Flames, on the contrary, did not consume the flesh of perishable animals that walked among them, nor did they melt that heavenly kind of food, like ice, so easily dissolved.
Conclusion
22 For in every way, O LORD, You have magnified and glorified Your people, and You have not neglected them, standing by them at every time and in every place.