The Wisdom of Solomon 1+2.... Wisdom of Solomon Wis.1 [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] because wisdom 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 andwill not free a blasphemer from the guilt of his words;because God is witness of his inmost feelings,and a true observer 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 thingswill 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 come to 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 of your 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. 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,and hereafter 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 timeand no one will remember our works;our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud,and be scattered like mistthat is chased by the rays of the sunand 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 widownor 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 of him is a burden to us,because his manner of life is unlike that of others,and his ways are strange.[16] We are considered by him as something base,and he avoids our ways as unclean;he calls the last end of the righteous happy,and boasts that God is his father.[17] Let us see if his words are true,and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;[18] for if the righteous man is Gods son, he will help him,and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.[19] Let us test him with insult and torture,that we may find out how gentle he is,and make trial of his forbearance.[20] Let us condemn him to a shameful death,for, according to what he says, he will be protected.[21] Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,for their wickedness blinded them,[22] and they did not know the secret purposes of God,nor hope for the wages of holiness,nor discern the prize for blameless souls;[23] for God created man for incorruption,and made him in the image of his own eternity,[24] but through the devils envy death entered the world,and those who belong to his party experience it.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 22:58:15 +0000
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