wisdom of solomon

Wisdom of Solomon

Wis.l

[1] Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth, think of the Lord with
uprightness, and seek him with sincerity of heart;
[2] because he is found by those who do not put him to the test, and
manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
[3] For perverse thoughts separate men from God, and when his power is
tested, it convicts the foolish;
[4] becausewisdom will not enter a deceitful soul, nor dwell in a body
enslaved to sin.
[5] For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit, and will rise and
depart from foolish thoughts, and will be ashamed at the approach of
unrighteousness.
[6] For wisdom is a kindly spirit and will not free a blasphemer from the
guilt of his words; because God is witness of his inmost feelings, and a trueobserver of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue.
[7] Because the Spirit of the Lord has filled the world, and that which holds
all things together knows what is said;
[8] therefore no one who utters unrighteous things will escape notice, and
justice, when it punishes, will not pass him by.
[9] For inquiry will be made into the counsels of an ungodly man, and a
report of his words will cometo the Lord, to convict him of his lawless
deeds;
[10] because a jealous ear hears all things, and the sound of murmurings
does not go unheard.
[11] Beware then of useless murmuring, and keep your tongue from slander;
because no secret word is without result, and a lying mouth destroys the
soul.
[12] Do not invite death by the error of your life, nor bring on destruction by
the works ofyour hands;
[13] because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death
of the living.
[14] For he created all things that they might exist, and the generative forces
of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them; and
the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
[15] For righteousness is immortal.
[16] But ungodly men by their words and deeds summoned death;considering him a friend, they pined away, and they made a covenant with
him, because they are fit to belong to his party.
295

Joseph B. Lumpkin

Wis.2

[1] For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, Short and sorrowful
is our life, and there is no remedy when a man comes to his end, and no one
has been known to return from Hades.
[2] Because we were born by mere chance, andhereafter we shall be as
though we had never been; because the breath in our nostrils is smoke, and
reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts.
[3] When it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes, and the spirit will
dissolve like empty air.
[4] Our name will be forgotten in time and no one will remember our works;
our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud, and bescattered like mist
that is chased by the rays of the sun and overcome by its heat.
[5] For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return
from our death, because it is sealed up and no one turns back.
[6] "Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist, and make use of
the creation to the full as in youth.
[7] Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes,and let no flower of
spring pass by us.
[8] Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.
[9] Let none of us fail to share in our revelry, everywhere let us leave signs
of enjoyment, because this is our portion, and this our lot.
[10] Let us oppress the righteous poor man; let us not spare the widow nor
regard the gray hairs of the aged.
[11] But let our might be our law of right,for what is weak proves itself to
be useless.
[12] "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to
us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and
accuses us of sins against our training.
[13] He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the
Lord.
[14] He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
[15] the very sight...