Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)

1 For they have said, reasoning with themselves incorrectly: “Our lifetime is brief and tedious, and there is no relief within the limits of man, and no one is acknowledged to have returned from the dead.

2 For we are born from nothing, and after this we will be as if we had not been, because the breath in our nostrils is like smoke, and conversation sends out sparks from the stirring of our heart;

3 therefore, when it is extinguished, our body will be ashes, and our spirit will be diffused like a soft breeze, and our life will pass away like the wisp of a cloud, just as a mist is dissolved when it is driven away by the rays of the sun and overpowered by its heat.

4 And in time our name will surrender to oblivion, and no one will have remembrance of our works.

5 For our time is like the passing of a shadow, and nothing can reverse our end, for it is signed and sealed, and cannot be returned.

6 Therefore, hurry, let us enjoy the good things of the present time, and let us quickly use up passing things, just as in youth.

7 Let us indulge ourselves with costly wine and ointments, and let no flower of youth pass us by.

8 Let us surround ourselves with rosebuds before they wither; let no meadow be left untouched by our indulgence.

9 Let no one among us be exempt from our indulgence. Let us leave behind tokens of enjoyment everywhere, for this is our portion, and this is fate.

10 Let us oppress the poor just man, and not spare the widow, nor respect the aged grey hairs of elders.

11 But let our strength be the law of justice, for what is weak is found to be useless.

12 Therefore, let us encircle the just, because he is useless to us, and he is against our works, and he reproaches us with our legal offenses, and makes known to us the sins of our way of life.

13 He promises that he has the knowledge of God and he calls himself the son of God.

14 He was made among us to expose our very thoughts.

15 He is grievous for us even to behold, for his life is unlike other men’s lives, and immutable are his ways.

16 It is as if we are considered by him to be insignificant, and he abstains from our ways as from filth; he prefers the newly justified, and he glories that he has God for his father.

17 Let us see, then, if his words are true, and let us test what will happen to him, and then we will know what his end will be.

18 For if he is the true son of God, he will receive him and deliver him from the hands of his adversaries.

19 Let us examine him with insult and torture, that we may know his reverence and try his patience.

20 Let us condemn him to a most shameful death, for, according to his own words, God will care for him.”

21 These things they thought, and they were mistaken, for their own malice blinded them.

22 And they were ignorant of the mysteries of God; they neither hoped for the reward of justice, nor judged the value of holy souls.

23 For God created man to be immortal, and he made him in the image of his own likeness.

24 But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,

25 yet they imitate him, who are from his side.

1 But the souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment of death will touch them.

2 In the eyes of the foolish, they seemed to die, and their departure was considered an affliction,

3 and their going away from us, a banishment. Yet they are in peace.

4 And though, in the sight of men, they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality.

5 Troubled in few things, in many things they will be well compensated, because God has tested them and found them worthy of himself.

6 Like gold in the furnace, he has proved them, and as a holocaust victim, he has received them, and in the time of their visitation

7 they will shine, and they will dash about like sparks among stubble.

8 They will judge the nations and they will rule over the people, and their Lord will reign forever.

9 Those who trust in him, will understand the truth, and those who are faithful in love will rest in him, because grace and peace is for his elect.

10 But the impious will be chastised according to their thoughts, for they have neglected the just and have retreated from the Lord.

11 For whoever abandons wisdom and instruction is unhappy, and their hope is empty, and their labors without fruit, and their works useless.

12 Their wives are foolish and their sons are wicked; the things that serve them are accursed.

13 Therefore, fertile is the barren and undefiled, who has not known transgressions in bed; she will bear fruit by caring for holy souls.

14 And fertile is the celibate, who has not wrought iniquity with his hands, nor thought wickedness against God; for to him will be given a special gift of faith and a very welcome place in the temple of the Lord.

15 For the fruit of good labors is glorious and the root of wisdom shall never perish.

16 But the sons of adulterers will not reach completion, and the offspring of a sinful bed will be banished.

17 And if they live long, they will be counted as nothing, and their last years of old-age will be without honor.

18 And if they die quickly, they will have no hope, nor words of comfort on the day of reckoning.

19 For the iniquities of the people have a dreadful result.

1 O how beautiful is the chaste fruit of purity! For its remembrance is immortal, because it is observed both with God and with men.

2 When it is present, they imitate it, and they desire it when it has withdrawn itself, and it triumphs crowned forever, winning the reward of undefiled conflicts.

3 But the great number of the many different kinds of the impious will not be to their advantage, and spurious seedlings will not be given deep roots, nor will they establish any firm foundation.

4 And if they spring forth with branches for a time, yet, being set infirmly, they will be shaken by the wind, and, by the superabundance of the winds, they will be eradicated.

5 For the incomplete branches will be broken, and their fruits will be useless, and bitter to eat, and fit for nothing.

6 For all the sons born from iniquity are witnesses of wickedness against their parents at their interrogation.

7 But the just, if death seizes him beforehand, will be refreshed.

8 For old age is made venerable, neither by lasting long, nor by counting the number of years; yet understanding is the gray hair of wisdom for men,

9 and an immaculate life is a generation of sages.

10 Pleasing to God, having been made beloved, and living among sinners, he was transformed.

11 He was quickly taken away, for malice could not alter his understanding, nor could deceit beguile his soul.

12 For fascination with entertainment obscures good things, and the unfaithfulness of desire subverts the mind without malice.

13 Completed in a short time, he fulfilled many times.

14 Truly his soul was pleasing to God. Because of this, he hastened to bring him out of the midst of iniquities, but the people see this and do not understand, nor do they place such things in their hearts:

15 that the grace and mercy of God is with his holy ones, and he watches over his elect.

16 But the just dead will condemn the impious living, and youth hastily completed results in a long unjust life.

17 For they will see the end of the wise, and will neither understand, nor imagine, that he is of God, and that therefore the Lord has safeguarded him.

18 For they will see and despise him, but the Lord will ridicule them.

19 And after this, they will fall without honor and with contempt among the dead forever. Seeing that they are puffed up and speechless, he will shatter them and will shake them from the foundations all the way to the top, to their utter desolation, and they will grieve and their remembrance will perish.

20 They will hurry with fear at the understanding of their sins, and their iniquities will bear witness against them.

1 Then the just will stand with great steadfastness against those who have oppressed them and have taken away their labors.

2 Seeing this, they will be troubled with terrible fear, and they will be amazed at the suddenness of unexpected salvation.

3 Driven toward regret, and through the anguish of their groaning spirit, they will say within themselves: “These are the ones whom we held for some time in derision and in mocking reproach.

4 We foolish considered their life to be madness, and their end to be without honor.

5 How is it that they are counted among the sons of God, and their place is among the holy?

6 Therefore, we have strayed from the way of truth, and the light of justice has not shined on us, and the sun of understanding has not risen on us.

7 We exhausted ourselves in the way of iniquity and perdition, and have walked a difficult way, while ignoring the way of the Lord.

8 How has arrogance benefited us? Or what has exalting in riches brought us?

9 All those things have passed away like a shadow, and like a messenger traveling quickly by;

10 and like a ship passing over the waves of water, when it has gone by, its trace cannot be found, nor can the pathway of its keel in the waves;

11 or, like a bird flying through the air, there is no evidence of her journey to be found, but there is hardly a sound as the beating of her wings lifts up the air and, by the force of her journey, divides the air she has flown across, which was disturbed by her wings, and afterwards there is no sign of her journey to be found;

12 or, like an arrow shot at a selected mark, the air continues to be divided and to be brought together again, so that its passing is unknown.

13 And in like manner we, having been born, continuously cease to exist, and indeed, we depart with no sign of virtue to show, but we are consumed in our malice.”

14 Such things those who sinned said in hell.

15 For the hope of the impious is like feathers, which are blown away by the wind, and like a thin foam, which is dispersed by a storm, and like smoke, which is scattered by the wind, and like the memory of a guest who passes by one day.

16 But the just will live forever, and their reward is with the Lord, and the thought of them is with the Most High.

17 Therefore, they will receive a beautiful kingdom and a crown of splendor from the hand of the Lord, for with his right hand he will cover them, and with his holy arm he will defend them.

18 And his zeal will take up arms, and he will equip his servants for retribution on their enemies.

19 He will put on justice as a breastplate, and he will grasp sure judgment as a helmet.

20 He will select fairness as an invincible shield.

21 Yet he will sharpen his severe wrath into a spear, and he will fight with those of the world against the irrational.

22 Shafts of lightning will hurl forth accurately, and, as if from a well-curved bow of clouds, they will be expelled and will fly to the determined mark.

23 And hail will be cast like stones full of anger, and the water of the sea will rise up against them, and the rivers will charge forth harshly.

24 The spirit of virtue will stand firm against them and like a whirlwind will divide them, and he will lead all the world of iniquity into a wasteland, and malice will overthrow the seats of power.

1 Wisdom is better than power, and a prudent man is better than a powerful one.

2 Therefore, hear, O kings, and understand; learn, you judges of the ends of the earth.

3 Listen closely, you who hold the attention of the crowds, and who please yourselves by disturbing the nations.

4 For power has been given to you from the Lord and strength from the Most High, who will examine your works and scrutinize your thoughts.

5 For, when you were ministers of his kingdom, you did not judge correctly, nor keep the law of justice, nor walk according to the will of God.

6 Horribly and quickly he will appear to you, because he will make a severe judgment for those who are in charge.

7 For, to the little, great mercy is granted, but the powerful will endure powerful torment.

8 For the Lord will not exempt anyone’s character, nor will he stand in awe of anyone’s greatness, because he himself made the little and the great, and he is equally concerned for everyone.

9 But a powerful torture pursues the powerful.

10 Therefore, O kings, these, my words, are for you, so that you may learn wisdom and not perish.

11 For those who have justly preserved justice will be justified, and those who have learned these things will find what to answer.

12 Therefore, desire my words, love them, and you will have instruction.

13 Wisdom is pure and never fades away, and is easily seen by those who love her and found by those who seek her.

14 She anticipates those who desire her, so that she first reveals herself to them.

15 Whoever awakens early to seek her, will not labor, for he will find her sitting at his door.

16 Therefore, by thinking about her, understanding is perfected, and whoever remains watchful for her, will quickly be secure.

17 For she goes about seeking such as are worthy of her, and she reveals herself to them cheerfully in the ways, and meets them with all foresight.

18 For the very true beginning of her is the desire for instruction.

19 Therefore, the zeal for instruction is love, and love is the keeping of her laws, and the keeping of her laws is the perfection of incorruptibility,

20 while incorruptibility makes us near to God.

21 And so, the desire for wisdom leads to an everlasting kingdom.

22 If, therefore, your delight is in thrones and scepters, O kings of the people, love wisdom, so that you may reign forever;

23 love the light of wisdom, all you who lead the peoples.

24 But what wisdom is, and how she was made, I will report, and I will not hide the mysteries of God from you, but I will investigate her from the beginning of her birth, and I will place the knowledge of her in the light, and will not pass over the truth.

25 Neither will I hold to the path that dwindles away with envy, because such a man will not partake in wisdom.

26 For the proliferation of the wise is sanity for the world, and a wise king is the mainstay of the people.

27 Therefore, receive instruction by my words, and it will benefit you.

1 Certainly, I myself am also a mortal man, like everyone, and the offspring of this earth, which was made beforehand; and in my mother’s womb I was fashioned with care,

2 within the time of ten months, made of blood, from the seed of man and the delight of sleeping together.

3 And when I was born, I drew in the common air, and in similar fashion, I fell upon the earth, and the first voice I uttered, like everyone, was crying.

4 I was nursed in swaddling clothes and with great care.

5 For none of the kings had any other beginning of birth.

6 Therefore, there is only one entrance for everyone into life, and the same in leaving.

7 Because of this, I chose, and understanding was given to me; and I prayed, and the spirit of wisdom came to me;

8 and I placed her before kingdoms and thrones, and I considered riches nothing in comparison with her.

9 Neither did I compare to her a precious stone, for all gold in comparison with her is like a little sand, and silver, in view of her, will be valued as if dirt.

10 I loved her above health and beauty, and I placed having her before light, for her light is unfailing.

11 Yet all good things came to me together with her, and innumerable honors by her hand;

12 and I rejoiced in all these, because this wisdom went before me, although I did not know that she is the mother of them all.

13 This I have learned without falsehood and communicate without envy, and her integrity I do not hide.

14 Indeed, she is an infinite treasure chest for men, and those who make use of it, become partakers in the friendship of God, because they are recommended by the gifts of instruction.

15 Yet God has given to me to speak my mind, and to conceive thoughts worthy of those things that are given to me, because he is the leader of wisdom and the repairer of understanding.

16 For in his hand are both we, and our words, and all wisdom, and the works of science, and instruction.

17 For he has given me true knowledge of these things which exist: so as to know the orderly arrangement of the world, and the powers of the elements,

18 the beginning and the end and the midpoint of the seasons, the characteristics of changing things, and the divisions of time,

19 the courses of the years, and the orderly arrangement of the stars,

20 the natures of animals, and the rage of wild beasts, the force of winds, and the reasonings of men, the diversities of plants, and the benefits of roots,

21 and all such things as are hidden and unexpected, I have learned; for wisdom, the artisan of all things, taught me.

22 For in her is the spirit of understanding: holy, singular, manifold, subtle, perceptive, lively, chaste, reliable, gracious, loving, good, astute, who forbids nothing beneficial,

23 humane, kind, steadfast, trustworthy, secure, having all virtue, watching for all things and grasping all things with a pure and most delicate understanding of spirit.

24 For wisdom is more active than all active things, yet she reaches everywhere because of her purity.

25 For she is a breath of the virtue of God and a genuine emanation from the purity of the almighty God, and therefore nothing unclean can invade her.

26 Indeed, she is the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirror of the majesty of God, and the image of his goodness.

27 And though she is one, she can do all things; and, unchanging in herself, she renews all things, and throughout the nations she conveys herself to holy souls, establishing them as friends and prophets of God.

28 For God loves none but those who dwell with wisdom.

29 For she is more spectacular than the sun, and above the array of all the stars; compared with the light, she is found to be before it.

30 Indeed, after her comes night, but wisdom will not be overcome by malice.

1 Thus, she reaches mightily from one end all the way to the other, and she orders all things sweetly.

2 I have loved her and searched for her from my youth, and have asked to take her to me as my spouse, and I became a lover of her form.

3 She glorifies her lineage by having companionship with God; yes and of all things, the Lord loves her.

4 For she teaches the teaching of God and is the chooser of his works.

5 And if riches are longed for in life, what is richer than wisdom, which is being served in all things?

6 But if the mind is to be served, who, of all that exists, is a greater artisan than she?

7 And if anyone loves justice, her labors hold great virtues; for she teaches temperance and prudence, justice and virtue, and nothing is more useful in human life.

8 And if one desires a multitude of knowledge, she knows the past and forecasts the future; she knows the subtleties of conversation and the response to arguments; she understands the signs and portents, before the events take place, events both of the present time and of future ages.

9 Therefore, I resolved to take her to me to live together, knowing that she will be a good counselor and will console my thoughts and my weariness.

10 Because of her, I have clarity in the midst of confusion, and honor among the elders in my youth;

11 and I will be found to be astute in judgment, and will be admired in the sight of the mighty, and the faces of leaders will wonder at me.

12 When I am silent, they will wait for me; when I speak, they will respect me; and when I talk for too long, they will put their hands on their mouths.

13 Thus, by means of her, I will have immortality, and I will bequeath an everlasting memorial to those who come after me.

14 I will set the peoples in order, and nations will be subject to me.

15 Hearing me, terrible kings will be afraid; to the multitude, I will be seen as good and valiant in war.

16 When I go into my house, I will repose myself with her, for her conversation has no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness, but only joy and gladness.

17 Thinking these things within myself, and recalling in my heart that immortality is the intention of wisdom,

18 and that in her friendship is good enjoyment, and in the works of her hands are honors without flaw, and in debate with her is understanding, and glory in sharing conversation with her; I went about seeking, so that I might take her to myself.

19 For I was an ingenious boy and had been dealt a good soul.

20 Even more so, being good, I came to have an undefiled body.

21 And since I know that it is not possible to be chaste except as a gift from God, and that it is a point of wisdom to know whose gift it is, I approached the Lord, and I besought him, and I said with my whole heart:

1 “God of my fathers and Lord of mercy, who has made all things with your word,

2 and by your wisdom has established man to have dominion over the creatures which have been made by you,

3 so that he would order the world in equity and justice, and execute judgment with an upright heart,

4 give me wisdom, the handmaiden at your throne, and be unwilling to reject me from among your children,

5 because I am your servant, and the son of your handmaid, a weak man, and short-lived, with limited understanding of judgment and laws.

6 And if someone were perfect among the sons of men, yet if your wisdom was taken away from him, he would be counted as nothing.

7 You have chosen me to be a king of your people, and a judge of your sons and daughters.

8 And you called me to construct a temple on your holy mount, and, in the city of your dwelling, an altar in the likeness of your holy tabernacle, which you have prepared from the beginning.

9 And with you is wisdom, who is familiar with your works, and who was nearby when you made the world, and who knows what is pleasing to your eyes, and who is guided by your teachings.

10 Send her out of your holy heavens and from the throne of your majesty, so that she is with me and labors with me, and I will know what is acceptable with you.

11 For she knows and understands all things, and will lead me soberly in my works, and will guard me by her power.

12 And my works will be acceptable, and I will govern your people justly, and I will be worthy of the throne of my father.

13 For who among men can know the counsel of God? Or who can imagine the will of God?

14 For the thoughts of mortals are timid, and our foresight is uncertain.

15 For the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and this earthy dwelling presses many thoughts upon the mind.

16 And we assess with difficulty the things that are of earth, and we discover with labor the things that are within our view. So who will search out the things that are in heaven?

17 Moreover, who will know your mind, unless you give wisdom and send your holy spirit from on high?

18 And in this way, those who are on earth are corrected in their path, and men learn the things that are pleasing to you.

19 For by wisdom they are saved, who have pleased you, O Lord, from the beginning.”

1 This is he, who was formed first by God, the father of the world, who was alone when created; she preserved him,

2 and led him out of his offense, and gave him the power to maintain all things.

3 After this, when the unjust man withdrew from her in his anger, he perished through anger by the murder of his brother.

4 Because of this, when water destroyed the earth, wisdom healed it again, guiding the just by means of contemptible wood.

5 Moreover, when the nations had conspired together to consent to wickedness, she knew the just, and preserved him without blame before God, and preserved his strength out of mercy for his sons.

6 She freed this just man from the destruction of the impious, fleeing descending fire in the Five Cities,

7 which, as a testimony to their wickedness, is a constantly smoking desolate land, and the trees bear fruit at uncertain times, and a figure of salt stands as a monument to an unbelieving soul.

8 For, in disregarding wisdom, they are fallen, not so much in this, that they were ignorant of good, but that they bequeathed to men a memorial of their foolishness, so that, in the things in which they sinned, they were unable to escape notice.

9 Yet wisdom has freed from sorrow those who are self-observant.

10 She led the just man, this fugitive of his brother’s wrath, by the right ways, and revealed to him the kingdom of God, and gave him the knowledge of holiness, honored him in his labors, and completed his labors.

11 In the midst of encircling deceit, she flowed around him and made him honest.

12 She guarded him from his enemies, and she defended him from seducers, and she gave him a strong conflict so that he might overcome and might know that the power of all things is wisdom.

13 She did not abandon the just man when he was sold, but freed him from sinners; she went down with him into the pit,

14 and she did not abandon him in chains, while she brought him the scepter of the kingdom and power against those who oppressed him, and revealed them to be liars who had dishonored him, and gave him everlasting glory.

15 She freed this just people and the blameless offspring, from the nations that had oppressed them.

16 She entered the soul of the servant of God and stood against dreadful kings in the midst of portents and signs,

17 and she rendered to the just the wages of their labors, and led them along a wondrous way; and she was to them, like a cover by day, and like the light of the stars by night.

18 She carried them through the Red Sea, and led them across a great water.

19 But their enemies, she submerged in the sea, and from the furthest depths, she drew them up. Therefore, the just carried off the spoils of the impious.

20 And they chanted to your holy name, Lord, and they together praised your victorious hand,

21 because wisdom opened the mouth of the mute, and made the speech of infants eloquent.

1 She directed their works in the hands of the holy prophet.

2 They made a path through desolate areas, which were uninhabited, and set up their homes in remote places.

3 They stood firm against the enemy, and vindicated themselves from their adversaries.

4 They thirsted, and they called upon you, and water was given them out of the deepest rock, and respite from thirst out of the hard stone.

5 For through water, their enemies had been punished, by the corruption of their drinking water; and so, among them, when the sons of Israel lacked the abundance they would have had, their enemies rejoiced;

6 yet though water, when they were in need, it turned out well for them.

7 For instead of a fountain, even everlasting in flow, you gave human blood to the unjust,

8 and while they would be crushed into disgrace because of the murdering of infants, you unexpectedly gave your own abundant water,

9 revealing through the thirst, which occurred at that time, how you would exalt your own and would kill their adversaries.

10 For when they were being tested, and even when receiving merciful correction, they knew in what way, when your wrath judged the impious, they would suffer torments.

11 For these, advising like a father, you approved; but the others, interrogating like a severe king, you condemned.

12 For whether absent or present, they were tortured alike.

13 For they had received double: weariness and groaning in the remembrance of things past.

14 For when they paid attention to their punishments, to attend to their own benefit, they called to mind the Lord, admiring the end result.

15 For though they showed scorn by throwing out distorted statements, in the end they were amazed at the result, but this is not the same as thirsting for justice.

16 For according to the thinking of their irrational iniquity, because some, going astray, were worshiping mute serpents and worthless beasts, you sent upon them a multitude of mute beasts for vengeance,

17 so that they might know that by whatever things a man sins, by the same also is he tormented.

18 For it was not impossible for your all-powerful hand, which created the world from unknown material, to send forth upon them a multitude of bears, or fierce lions,

19 or, in anger, beasts of a new kind, massive and strange, either breathing out a fiery vapor, or sending forth an odorous smoke, or shooting horrible sparks from their eyes;

20 whereby, not only wounds would be able to destroy them, but also the very sight would kill them through fear.

21 Yet, even without these, they could have been killed with one breath, suffering persecution of their own making and being scattered by your spirit of virtue; but you have ordered all things in size and number and weight.

22 Though many are strong, you alone always overcome. And who will withstand the strength of your arm?

23 For, like a tiny grain on a scale, just so is the world before you, and like a drop dew before dawn, which descends upon the earth.

24 But you are merciful to all, because you can do all, and you dismiss the sins of man because of repentance.

25 For you love all things that are, and you hate nothing of the things you have made; for you would not have created or established anything that you hated.

26 For how could anything endure, except by your will? Or what, having been called by you not to exist, would be preserved?

27 Yet you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord, who loves souls.