Wisdom 7-9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 7
Solomon Is Like All Others
1 I too am a mortal, the same as all the rest,(A)
and a descendant of the first one formed of earth.[a]
And in my mother’s womb I was molded into flesh
2 in a ten-month period[b]—body and blood,
from the seed of a man, and the pleasure that accompanies marriage.
3 And I too, when born, inhaled the common air,
and fell upon the kindred earth;
wailing, I uttered that first sound common to all.
4 In swaddling clothes and with constant care I was nurtured.
5 For no king has any different origin or birth;
6 one is the entry into life for all,
and in one same way they leave it.(B)
Solomon Prayed and Wisdom and Riches Came to Him
7 Therefore I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.(C)
8 I preferred her to scepter and throne,(D)
And deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
9 nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
Because all gold, in view of her, is a bit of sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
10 Beyond health and beauty I loved her,
And I chose to have her rather than the light,
because her radiance never ceases.(E)
11 Yet all good things together came to me with her,(F)
and countless riches at her hands;
12 I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom is their leader,
though I had not known that she is their mother.[c](G)
Solomon Prays for Help to Speak Worthily of Wisdom
13 Sincerely I learned about her, and ungrudgingly do I share—
her riches I do not hide away;(H)
14 For she is an unfailing treasure;
those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God,
being commended by the gifts that come from her discipline.[d]
15 Now God grant I speak suitably
and value these endowments at their worth:
For he is the guide of Wisdom
and the director of the wise.
16 For both we and our words are in his hand,
as well as all prudence and knowledge of crafts.(I)
17 [e]For he gave me sound knowledge of what exists,
that I might know the structure of the universe and the force of its elements,
18 The beginning and the end and the midpoint of times,
the changes in the sun’s course and the variations of the seasons,
19 Cycles of years, positions of stars,
20 natures of living things, tempers of beasts,
Powers of the winds and thoughts of human beings,
uses of plants and virtues of roots—
21 Whatever is hidden or plain I learned,
22 for Wisdom, the artisan of all, taught me.(J)
Nature and Incomparable Dignity of Wisdom
[f] For in her is a spirit
intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain,
Never harmful, loving the good, keen,(K)
23 unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits,
though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
24 For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion,
and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.(L)
25 [g]For she is a breath of the might of God
and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore nothing defiled can enter into her.
26 For she is the reflection of eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the power of God,
the image of his goodness.(M)
27 Although she is one, she can do all things,
and she renews everything while herself perduring;
Passing into holy souls from age to age,
she produces friends of God and prophets.(N)
28 For God loves nothing so much as the one who dwells with Wisdom.
29 For she is fairer than the sun(O)
and surpasses every constellation of the stars.
Compared to light, she is found more radiant;
30 though night supplants light,
wickedness does not prevail over Wisdom.
Chapter 8
1 Indeed, she spans the world from end to end mightily
and governs all things well.(P)
Wisdom, the Source of Blessings
2 Her I loved and sought after from my youth;
I sought to take her for my bride[h]
and was enamored of her beauty.(Q)
3 She adds to nobility the splendor of companionship with God;
even the Ruler of all loved her.
4 For she leads into the understanding of God,
and chooses his works.(R)
5 If riches are desirable in life,
what is richer than Wisdom, who produces all things?(S)
6 And if prudence is at work,(T)
who in the world is a better artisan than she?
7 Or if one loves righteousness,
whose works are virtues,
She teaches moderation and prudence,
righteousness and fortitude,[i]
and nothing in life is more useful than these.
8 Or again, if one yearns for wide experience,
she knows the things of old, and infers the things to come.
She understands the turns of phrases and the solutions of riddles;
signs and wonders she knows in advance
and the outcome of times and ages.(U)
Wisdom as Solomon’s Counselor and Comfort
9 So I determined to take her to live with me,
knowing that she would be my counselor while all was well,
and my comfort in care and grief.
10 Because of her I have glory among the multitudes,(V)
and esteem from the elders, though I am but a youth.
11 I shall become keen in judgment,
and shall be a marvel before rulers.
12 They will wait while I am silent and listen when I speak;
and when I shall speak the more,
they will put their hands upon their mouths.[j]
13 Because of her I shall have immortality
and leave to those after me an everlasting memory.(W)
14 I shall govern peoples, and nations will be my subjects—(X)
15 tyrannical princes, hearing of me, will be afraid;
in the assembly I shall appear noble, and in war courageous.
16 Entering my house, I shall take my repose beside her;
For association with her involves no bitterness
and living with her no grief,
but rather joy and gladness.(Y)
Wisdom Is a Gift of God
17 Reflecting on these things,
and considering in my heart
That immortality lies in kinship with Wisdom,(Z)
18 great delight in love of her,
and unfailing riches in the works of her hands;
And that in associating with her there is prudence,
and fair renown in sharing her discourses,
I went about seeking to take her for my own.
19 [k]Now, I was a well-favored child,
and I came by a noble nature;
20 or rather, being noble, I attained an unblemished body.
21 And knowing that I could not otherwise possess her unless God gave it—
and this, too, was prudence, to know whose gift she is—
I went to the Lord and besought him,(AA)
and said with all my heart:
Chapter 9
Solomon’s Prayer[l]
1 [m]God of my ancestors, Lord of mercy,(AB)
you who have made all things by your word(AC)
2 And in your wisdom have established humankind
to rule the creatures produced by you,(AD)
3 And to govern the world in holiness and righteousness,
and to render judgment in integrity of heart:(AE)
4 Give me Wisdom, the consort at your throne,
and do not reject me from among your children;(AF)
5 For I am your servant, the child of your maidservant,
a man weak and short-lived
and lacking in comprehension of judgment and of laws.(AG)
6 Indeed, though one be perfect among mortals,
if Wisdom, who comes from you, be lacking,
that one will count for nothing.(AH)
7 You have chosen me king over your people
and magistrate over your sons and daughters.(AI)
8 You have bid me build a temple on your holy mountain
and an altar in the city that is your dwelling place,
a copy of the holy tabernacle which you had established from of old.(AJ)
9 Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works
and was present when you made the world;
Who understands what is pleasing in your eyes
and what is conformable with your commands.(AK)
10 Send her forth from your holy heavens
and from your glorious throne dispatch her
That she may be with me and work with me,
that I may know what is pleasing to you.(AL)
11 For she knows and understands all things,
and will guide me prudently in my affairs
and safeguard me by her glory;(AM)
12 Thus my deeds will be acceptable,
and I will judge your people justly
and be worthy of my father’s throne.(AN)
13 For who knows God’s counsel,
or who can conceive what the Lord intends?(AO)
14 For the deliberations of mortals are timid,
and uncertain our plans.
15 [n]For the corruptible body burdens the soul
and the earthly tent weighs down the mind with its many concerns.(AP)
16 Scarcely can we guess the things on earth,
and only with difficulty grasp what is at hand;
but things in heaven, who can search them out?(AQ)
17 Or who can know your counsel, unless you give Wisdom
and send your holy spirit from on high?(AR)
18 [o]Thus were the paths of those on earth made straight,
and people learned what pleases you,
and were saved by Wisdom.(AS)
Footnotes
- 7:1 First one formed of earth: Adam. The author omits throughout the book the proper names of the characters in sacred history of whom he speaks; see especially chap. 10.
- 7:2 In a ten-month period: ten lunar months.
- 7:12 Mother: lit., “she who begets.” Although Wisdom herself is begotten of God (Prv 8:22–24), she is here the one who brings into being.
- 7:14 Discipline: cf. note on 1:5.
- 7:17–22a Wisdom teaches not only righteousness and friendship with God but also sound knowledge of the world, the universe, plants, animals and human beings. See also 1 Kgs 5:9–14; these specialties reflect Hellenistic culture.
- 7:22b–23 The twenty-one (7 × 3) attributes of the spirit in Wisdom reflect the influence of contemporary philosophy, especially the Stoa, but the personification rests also on Prv 8:22–31 and Sir 24.
- 7:25–26 Five strong metaphors underline the origins and closeness of Wisdom with God. See the use of this language in Hb 1:3; Col 1:15.
- 8:2 I loved…my bride: the erotic quality in the pursuit of and living with Woman Wisdom, who is the Lord’s consort (9:4) and loved by him, continues throughout this chapter (vv. 16, 18). It is reflected already in Prv 4:5–9; 7:4–5. See also Sir 15:2–5; 51:13–21.
- 8:7 Moderation…fortitude: known also as the cardinal virtues, and recognized in Greek philosophy (Plato).
- 8:12 Hands upon their mouths: a sign of respect for unanswerable wisdom; cf. Jb 40:4.
- 8:19–20 Here the author mentions first bodily, then spiritual, excellence. To make it plain that the latter is the governing factor in the harmonious development of the human person, he then reverses the order. The Platonic doctrine of the pre-existence of the soul is often read into these lines, but such an anthropology does not seem to be the intent of the author (cf. 7:1–6). Verse 20 appears to rule out any misunderstanding of v. 19. Verse 21 emphasizes that he did not bring talent to his “birth”; his wisdom is the gift of God.
- 9:1–18 The author presents his version of Solomon’s prayer (1 Kgs 3:6–9; 2 Chr 1:8–10).
- 9:1–2 The author identifies Wisdom with the word of God just as he again identifies Wisdom with the spirit of God in v. 17. All three are alternate ways of expressing God’s activity in relationship with the world and its inhabitants.
- 9:15–17 Although the expressions in v. 15 draw on the language of Plato concerning the human condition, the conclusion is very biblical: God remains a mystery (Jb 38–39; Eccl 8:17; Is 40:12–14; Rom 11:33–34). The plight of humankind is clearly one of ignorance, unless the “holy spirit” is sent from God.
- 9:18 An announcement of the next section.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.