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/Wis/ - Wisdom

<< Esther (Greek) Sirach >>The Book of Wisdom or The Wisdom of Solomon
The Book of Wisdom or The Wisdom of Solomon
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3But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them.

2In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery,

3And their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace.

4For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality.

5And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for himself.

6As gold in the furnace hath he tried them, and received them as a burnt offering.

7And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble.

8They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever.

9They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with him: for grace and mercy is to his saints, and he hath care for his elect.

10But the ungodly shall be punished according to their own imaginations, which have neglected the righteous, and forsaken the Lord.

11For whoso despiseth wisdom and nurture, he is miserable, and their hope is vain, their labours unfruitful, and their works unprofitable:

12Their wives are foolish, and their children wicked:

13Their offspring is cursed. Wherefore blessed is the barren that is undefiled, which hath not known the sinful bed: she shall have fruit in the visitation of souls.

14And blessed is the eunuch, which with his hands hath wrought no iniquity, nor imagined wicked things against God: for unto him shall be given the special gift of faith, and an inheritance in the temple of the Lord more acceptable to his mind.

15For glorious is the fruit of good labours: and the root of wisdom shall never fall away.

16As for the children of adulterers, they shall not come to their perfection, and the seed of an unrighteous bed shall be rooted out.

17For though they live long, yet shall they be nothing regarded: and their last age shall be without honour.

18Or, if they die quickly, they have no hope, neither comfort in the day of trial.

19For horrible is the end of the unrighteous generation.

4Better it is to have no children, and to have virtue: for the memorial thereof is immortal: because it is known with God, and with men.

2When it is present, men take example at it; and when it is gone, they desire it: it weareth a crown, and triumpheth for ever, having gotten the victory, striving for undefiled rewards.

3But the multiplying brood of the ungodly shall not thrive, nor take deep rooting from bastard slips, nor lay any fast foundation.

4For though they flourish in branches for a time; yet standing not last, they shall be shaken with the wind, and through the force of winds they shall be rooted out.

5The imperfect branches shall be broken off, their fruit unprofitable, not ripe to eat, yea, meet for nothing.

6For children begotten of unlawful beds are witnesses of wickedness against their parents in their trial.

7But though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest.

8For honourable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years.

9But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age.

10He pleased God, and was beloved of him: so that living among sinners he was translated.

11Yea speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul.

12For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind.

13He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time:

14For his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted he to take him away from among the wicked.

15This the people saw, and understood it not, neither laid they up this in their minds, That his grace and mercy is with his saints, and that he hath respect unto his chosen.

16Thus the righteous that is dead shall condemn the ungodly which are living; and youth that is soon perfected the many years and old age of the unrighteous.

17For they shall see the end of the wise, and shall not understand what God in his counsel hath decreed of him, and to what end the Lord hath set him in safety.

18They shall see him, and despise him; but God shall laugh them to scorn: and they shall hereafter be a vile carcase, and a reproach among the dead for evermore.

19For he shall rend them, and cast them down headlong, that they shall be speechless; and he shall shake them from the foundation; and they shall be utterly laid waste, and be in sorrow; and their memorial shall perish.

20And when they cast up the accounts of their sins, they shall come with fear: and their own iniquities shall convince them to their face.

5Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labours.

2When they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the strangeness of his salvation, so far beyond all that they looked for.

3And they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit shall say within themselves, This was he, whom we had sometimes in derision, and a proverb of reproach:

4We fools accounted his life madness, and his end to be without honour:

5How is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints!

6Therefore have we erred from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness hath not shined unto us, and the sun of righteousness rose not upon us.

7We wearied ourselves in the way of wickedness and destruction: yea, we have gone through deserts, where there lay no way: but as for the way of the Lord, we have not known it.

8What hath pride profited us? or what good hath riches with our vaunting brought us?

9All those things are passed away like a shadow, and as a post that hasted by;

10And as a ship that passeth over the waves of the water, which when it is gone by, the trace thereof cannot be found, neither the pathway of the keel in the waves;

11Or as when a bird hath flown through the air, there is no token of her way to be found, but the light air being beaten with the stroke of her wings and parted with the violent noise and motion of them, is passed through, and therein afterwards no sign where she went is to be found;

12Or like as when an arrow is shot at a mark, it parteth the air, which immediately cometh together again, so that a man cannot know where it went through:

13Even so we in like manner, as soon as we were born, began to draw to our end, and had no sign of virtue to shew; but were consumed in our own wickedness.

14For the hope of the ungodly is like dust that is blown away with the wind; like a thin froth that is driven away with the storm; like as the smoke which is dispersed here and there with a tempest, and passeth away as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth but a day.

15But the righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the most High.

16Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect them.

17He shall take to him his jealousy for complete armour, and make the creature his weapon for the revenge of his enemies.

18He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of an helmet.

19He shall take holiness for an invincible shield.

20His severe wrath shall he sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with him against the unwise.

21Then shall the right aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark.

22And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them.

23Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty.

6Hear therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth.

2Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations.

3For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels.

4Because, being ministers of his kingdom, ye have not judged aright, nor kept the law, nor walked after the counsel of God;

5Horribly and speedily shall he come upon you: for a sharp judgment shall be to them that be in high places.

6For mercy will soon pardon the meanest: but mighty men shall be mightily tormented.

7For he which is Lord over all shall fear no man’s person, neither shall he stand in awe of any man’s greatness: for he hath made the small and great, and careth for all alike.

8But a sore trial shall come upon the mighty.

9Unto you therefore, O kings, do I speak, that ye may learn wisdom, and not fall away.

10For they that keep holiness holily shall be judged holy: and they that have learned such things shall find what to answer.

11Wherefore set your affection upon my words; desire them, and ye shall be instructed.

12Wisdom is glorious, and never fadeth away: yea, she is easily seen of them that love her, and found of such as seek her.

13She preventeth them that desire her, in making herself first known unto them.

14Whoso seeketh her early shall have no great travail: for he shall find her sitting at his doors.

15To think therefore upon her is perfection of wisdom: and whoso watcheth for her shall quickly be without care.

16For she goeth about seeking such as are worthy of her, sheweth herself favourably unto them in the ways, and meeteth them in every thought.

17For the very true beginning of her is the desire of discipline; and the care of discipline is love;

18And love is the keeping of her laws; and the giving heed unto her laws is the assurance of incorruption;

19And incorruption maketh us near unto God:

20Therefore the desire of wisdom bringeth to a kingdom.

21If your delight be then in thrones and sceptres, O ye kings of the people, honour wisdom, that ye may reign for evermore.

22As for wisdom, what she is, and how she came up, I will tell you, and will not hide mysteries from you: but will seek her out from the beginning of her nativity, and bring the knowledge of her into light, and will not pass over the truth.

23Neither will I go with consuming envy; for such a man shall have no fellowship with wisdom.

24But the multitude of the wise is the welfare of the world: and a wise king is the upholding of the people.

25Receive therefore instruction through my words, and it shall do you good.

7I myself also am a mortal man, like to all, and the offspring of him that was first made of the earth,

2And in my mother’s womb was fashioned to be flesh in the time of ten months, being compacted in blood, of the seed of man, and the pleasure that came with sleep.

3And when I was born, I drew in the common air, and fell upon the earth, which is of like nature, and the first voice which I uttered was crying, as all others do.

4I was nursed in swaddling clothes, and that with cares.

5For there is no king that had any other beginning of birth.

6For all men have one entrance into life, and the like going out.

7Wherefore I prayed, and understanding was given me: I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

8I preferred her before sceptres and thrones, and esteemed riches nothing in comparison of her.

9Neither compared I unto her any precious stone, because all gold in respect of her is as a little sand, and silver shall be counted as clay before her.

10I loved her above health and beauty, and chose to have her instead of light: for the light that cometh from her never goeth out.

11All good things together came to me with her, and innumerable riches in her hands.

12And I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom goeth before them: and I knew not that she was the mother of them.

13I learned diligently, and do communicate her liberally: I do not hide her riches.

14For she is a treasure unto men that never faileth: which they that use become the friends of God, being commended for the gifts that come from learning.

15God hath granted me to speak as I would, and to conceive as is meet for the things that are given me: because it is he that leadeth unto wisdom, and directeth the wise.

16For in his hand are both we and our words; all wisdom also, and knowledge of workmanship.

17For he hath given me certain knowledge of the things that are, namely, to know how the world was made, and the operation of the elements:

18The beginning, ending, and midst of the times: the alterations of the turning of the sun, and the change of seasons:

19The circuits of years, and the positions of stars:

20The natures of living creatures, and the furies of wild beasts: the violence of winds, and the reasonings of men: the diversities of plants and the virtues of roots:

21And all such things as are either secret or manifest, them I know.

22For wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me: for in her is an understanding spirit holy, one only, manifold, subtil, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do good,

23Kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all things, and going through all understanding, pure, and most subtil, spirits.

24For wisdom is more moving than any motion: she passeth and goeth through all things by reason of her pureness.

25For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her.

26For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness.

27And being but one, she can do all things: and remaining in herself, she maketh all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls, she maketh them friends of God, and prophets.

28For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom.

29For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of stars: being compared with the light, she is found before it.

30For after this cometh night: but vice shall not prevail against wisdom.


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