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The Wisdom of Solomon

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- Chapter 1 -

An exhortation to seek God sincerely, who cannot be deceived, and desires not our death.

1
Love justice, you who judge the land. Think of the Lord in goodness and seek him in simplicity of heart.(a)
2
For he is found by those who do not test him, yet he reveals himself to those who have faith in him.
3
For perverse thoughts separate from God. But his virtue, when it is tested, corrects the foolish.(b)
4
For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subdued by sin.
5
For the holy spirit of instruction will flee from falsehood, and he will withdraw himself from thoughts that are without understanding, and he will not be reached when iniquity overcomes.(c)
6
For the spirit of wisdom is benevolent, and will not release the evil speaker from his talk, because God is a witness of his temperament, and a true examiner of his heart, and an auditor of his words.(d)
7
For the spirit of the Lord has filled the world, and he who contains all things, retains knowledge of every voice.
8
Therefore, he who speaks unjust things cannot escape notice, nor will the chastising judgment pass him by.
9
For inquiry will be made into the thoughts of the impious, his conversation also will reach the hearing of God, to the chastising of his iniquities.
10
For the zealous ear hears all things, and the disturbance of complaining will not be hidden.
11
Therefore, keep yourselves from complaining, which benefits nothing, and refrain your tongue from slander, because secret conversation will not pass into nothingness, and the mouth that lies kills the soul.
12
Do not court death by the error of your life, nor procure your destruction by the works of your hands,
13
because God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the loss of the living.
14
For he created all things that they might exist, and he made the nations of the world curable, and there is no medicine of extermination in them, nor a kingdom of hell upon the earth.(e)
15
For justice is perpetual and immortal.
16
But the impious, with hands and words, have called death to them, and, esteeming it a friend, they have fallen away and have made a covenant with death, because they deserved to take part in it.(f)

Footnotes

(a)1:1 Diligite can also mean choose, terram means land, whereas orbis terram would mean earth, or, literally, the circle of lands.(Conte)
(b)1:3 Virtus can refer to either power or virtue; when used about God it should be understood to mean both, for in God virtue is power and power is virtue. God is one.(Conte)
(c)1:5 Disciplinae can mean discipline or instruction or teaching or training, or perhaps all those things put together.(Conte)
(d)1:6 Literally, the text refers to kidneys, heart, and tongue. The reader will understand that the meaning of heart in this context is something like inner most being. Likewise, the word tongue is used metaphorically to refer to words or speaking. The kidneys, in ancient times, also had a metaphorical meaning, which refers to temperament. On the positive side, kidneys are a metaphor for patience and self-restraint. On the negative side, it refers to losing one’s temper and to temperament in general as a point of vulnerability.(Conte)
(e)1:14 Sanabiles means curable, but it could also be translated as savable. As in other verses, medicine here has a negative connotation. Inferorum literally means below or the underworld, but it is often used to refer to hell.(Conte)
(f)1:16 Latin uses many different pronouns very frequently. Pronouns in Latin have case, gender, and are singular or plural. When translated into English, there are fewer pronouns and fewer forms of each pronoun. Therefore, so that some meaning will not be lost in translation, sometimes the noun the pronoun refers to is used in the English translation. Illam refers to death, continuing the theme of the previous verses.(Conte)

An exhortation to seek God sincerely, who cannot be deceived, and desires not our death.

1
Love righteousness, all you who are judges of the earth. Think of the Lord(a) with a good mind. Seek him in singleness of heart,
2
because he is found by those who don’t put him to the test, and is manifested to those who trust him.
3
for crooked thoughts separate from God. His Power convicts when it is tested, and exposes the foolish;
4
because wisdom will not enter into a soul that devises evil, nor dwell in a body that is enslaved by sin.
5
For a holy spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and will depart from thoughts that are without understanding, and will be ashamed when unrighteousness has come in.
6
For(b) wisdom is a spirit who loves man, and she will not hold a(c) blasphemer guiltless for his lips, because God is witness of his inmost self, and is a true overseer of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue.
7
Because the spirit of the Lord has filled(d) the world, and that which holds all things together knows what is said.
8
Therefore no one who utters unrighteous things will be unseen; neither will Justice, when it convicts, pass him by.
9
For in his counsels the ungodly will be searched out, and the sound of his words will come to the Lord to bring his lawless deeds to conviction;
10
because a jealous ear listens to all things, and the noise of murmurings is not hidden.
11
Beware then of unprofitable murmuring, and keep your tongue from slander; because no secret utterance will go on its way void, and a lying mouth destroys a soul.
12
Don’t court death in the error of your life. Don’t draw destruction upon yourselves by the works of your hands;
13
because God didn’t make death, neither does he delight when the living perish.
14
For he created all things that they might have being. The generative powers of the world are wholesome, and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor has Hades(e) royal dominion upon earth;
15
for righteousness is immortal,
16
but ungodly men by their hands and their words summon death; deeming him a friend they(f) pined away. They made a covenant with him, because they are worthy to belong with him.

Footnotes

(a)1:1 Gr. in goodness.
(b)1:6 Some authorities read the spirit of wisdom is loving to man.
(c)1:6 Or, reviler
(d)1:7 Gr. the inhabited earth.
(e)1:14 Or, a royal house
(f)1:16 Or, were consumedwith love of him
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