Jul 10 - Wisdom 8-11
Wisdom
1Thus, she reaches mightily from one end all the way to the other, and she orders all things sweetly2I 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 form3She glorifies her lineage by having companionship with God; yes and of all things, the Lord loves her4For she teaches the teaching of God and is the chooser of his works5And if riches are longed for in life, what is richer than wisdom, which is being served in all things6But if the mind is to be served, who, of all that exists, is a greater artisan than she7And 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 life8And 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 ages9Therefore, 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 weariness10Because of her, I have clarity in the midst of confusion, and honor among the elders in my youth11and 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 me12When 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 mouths13Thus, by means of her, I will have immortality, and I will bequeath an everlasting memorial to those who come after me14I will set the peoples in order, and nations will be subject to me15Hearing me, terrible kings will be afraid; to the multitude, I will be seen as good and valiant in war16When 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 gladness17Thinking these things within myself, and recalling in my heart that immortality is the intention of wisdom18and 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 myself19For I was an ingenious boy and had been dealt a good soul20Even more so, being good, I came to have an undefiled body21And 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 word2and by your wisdom has established man to have dominion over the creatures which have been made by you3so that he would order the world in equity and justice, and execute judgment with an upright heart4give me wisdom, the handmaiden at your throne, and be unwilling to reject me from among your children5because I am your servant, and the son of your handmaid, a weak man, and short-lived, with limited understanding of judgment and laws6And if someone were perfect among the sons of men, yet if your wisdom was taken away from him, he would be counted as nothing7You have chosen me to be a king of your people, and a judge of your sons and daughters8And 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 beginning9And 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 teachings10Send 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 you11For she knows and understands all things, and will lead me soberly in my works, and will guard me by her power12And my works will be acceptable, and I will govern your people justly, and I will be worthy of the throne of my father13For who among men can know the counsel of God? Or who can imagine the will of God14For the thoughts of mortals are timid, and our foresight is uncertain15For the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and this earthy dwelling presses many thoughts upon the mind16And 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 heaven17Moreover, who will know your mind, unless you give wisdom and send your holy spirit from on high18And in this way, those who are on earth are corrected in their path, and men learn the things that are pleasing to you19For by wisdom they are saved, who have pleased you, O Lord, from the beginning.
1This is he, who was formed first by God, the father of the world, who was alone when created; she preserved him2and led him out of his offense, and gave him the power to maintain all things3After this, when the unjust man withdrew from her in his anger, he perished through anger by the murder of his brother4Because of this, when water destroyed the earth, wisdom healed it again, guiding the just by means of contemptible wood5Moreover, 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 sons6She freed this just man from the destruction of the impious, fleeing descending fire in the Five Cities7which, 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 soul8For, 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 notice9Yet wisdom has freed from sorrow those who are self-observant10She 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 labors11In the midst of encircling deceit, she flowed around him and made him honest12She 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 wisdom13She did not abandon the just man when he was sold, but freed him from sinners; she went down with him into the pit14and 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 glory15She freed this just people and the blameless offspring, from the nations that had oppressed them16She entered the soul of the servant of God and stood against dreadful kings in the midst of portents and signs17and 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 night18She carried them through the Red Sea, and led them across a great water19But 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 impious20And they chanted to your holy name, Lord, and they together praised your victorious hand21because wisdom opened the mouth of the mute, and made the speech of infants eloquent
1She directed their works in the hands of the holy prophet2They made a path through desolate areas, which were uninhabited, and set up their homes in remote places3They stood firm against the enemy, and vindicated themselves from their adversaries4They thirsted, and they called upon you, and water was given them out of the deepest rock, and respite from thirst out of the hard stone5For 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 rejoiced6yet through water, when they were in need, it turned out well for them7For instead of a fountain, even everlasting in flow, you gave human blood to the unjust8and while they would be crushed into disgrace because of the murdering of infants, you unexpectedly gave your own abundant water9revealing through the thirst, which occurred at that time, how you would exalt your own and would kill their adversaries10For 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 torments11For these, advising like a father, you approved; but the others, interrogating like a severe king, you condemned12For whether absent or present, they were tortured alike13For they had received double: weariness and groaning in the remembrance of things past14For when they paid attention to their punishments, to attend to their own benefit, they called to mind the Lord, admiring the end result15For 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 justice16For 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 vengeance17so that they might know that by whatever things a man sins, by the same also is he tormented18For 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 lions19or, 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 eyes20whereby, not only wounds would be able to destroy them, but also the very sight would kill them through fear21Yet, 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 weight22Though many are strong, you alone always overcome. And who will withstand the strength of your arm23For, like a tiny grain on a scale, just so is the world before you, and like a drop of dew before dawn, which descends upon the earth24But you are merciful to all, because you can do all, and you dismiss the sins of man because of repentance25For 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 hated26For how could anything endure, except by your will? Or what, having been called by you not to exist, would be preserved27Yet you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord, who loves souls