Wisdom of Solomon · Catholic Public Domain Version
Wisdom of Solomon 12 Catholic Public Domain Version
Notes on this text (3)
- Esther and Daniel are the Vulgate books (Esther 1–16 with the Greek additions as chapters 10:4–16; Daniel 1–14 with the Song of the Three, Susanna and Bel). Baruch 6 is the Letter of Jeremiah.
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- No imprimatur; single translator.
1 O how good and gracious, Lord, is your spirit in all things!
1 For your incorruptible spirit is in all things.
2 Therefore, those who wander afield, you correct, and, as to those who sin, you counsel them and admonish them, so that, having abandoned malice, they may believe in you, O Lord.
2 Therefore you convict little by little those who fall from the right way, and, putting them in remembrance by the things wherein they sin, you admonish them, that escaping from their wickedness they may believe in you, O Lord.
3 For those ancient inhabitants of your holy land, who you abhorred,
3 For truly the old inhabitants of your holy land,
4 because they were doing works hateful to you, through unjust medicines and sacrifices,
4 hating them because they practiced detestable works of enchantments and unholy rites—
5 and the merciless murderers of their own sons, and the eaters of human entrails, and the devourers of blood apart from your community sacrament,
5 merciless slaughters of children and sacrificial banquets of men’s flesh and of blood—
6 and the sellers performing the ceremonies of helpless souls, you willed to destroy by the hands of our parents,
6 allies in an impious fellowship, and murderers of their own helpless babes, it was your counsel to destroy by the hands of our fathers;
7 so that they might worthily secure the sojourn of the children of God, in the land which is most beloved by you.
7 that the land which in your sight is most precious of all might receive a worthy colony of God’s servants.
8 Yet, so that you were lenient even to these men, you sent wasps, forerunners of your army, so that you might destroy them little by little,
8 Nevertheless you even spared these as men, and you sent hornets as forerunners of your army, to cause them to perish little by little.
9 not because you were unable to subdue the impious under the just by war or by cruel beasts, or with a harsh word to exterminate them at once,
9 Not that you were unable to subdue the ungodly under the hand of the righteous in battle, or by terrible beasts or by a stern word to make away with them at once,
10 but, in judging by degrees, you were giving them a place of repentance, not unaware that their nation is wicked, and their malice is inherent, and that their thinking could never be changed.
10 but judging them little by little you gave them a chance to repent, not being ignorant that their nature by birth was evil, their wickedness inborn, and that their manner of thought would never be changed.
11 For this offspring was accursed from the beginning. Neither did you, fearing anyone, give favor to their sins.
11 For they were a cursed seed from the beginning. It wasn’t through fear of any that you left them unpunished for their sins.
12 For who will say to you, “What have you done?” Or who will stand against your judgment? Or who will come before you as a defender of unfair men? Or who will accuse you, if the nations perish, which you have made?
12 For who will say, “What have you done?” Or “Who will withstand your judgment?” Who will accuse you for the perishing of nations which you caused? Or who will come and stand before you as an avenger for unrighteous men?
13 For neither is there any other God but you, who has care of all, to whom you would show that you did not give judgment unjustly.
13 For there isn’t any God beside you that cares for all, that you might show that you didn’t judge unrighteously.
14 Neither will king or tyrant inquire before you about those whom you destroyed.
14 No king or prince will be able to confront you about those whom you have punished.
15 Therefore, since you are just, you order all things justly, considering it foreign to your virtue to condemn him who does not deserve to be punished.
15 But being righteous, you rule all things righteously, deeming it a thing alien from your power to condemn one who doesn’t deserve to be punished.
16 For your power is the beginning of justice, and, because you are Lord of all, you make yourself to be lenient to all.
16 For your strength is the source of righteousness, and your sovereignty over all makes you to forbear all.
17 For you reveal power to those who do not believe you to be perfect in power, and you expose the arrogance of those who do not know you.
17 For when men don’t believe that you are perfect in power, you show your strength, and in dealing with those who think this, you confuse their boldness.
18 Yet, you are the master of power, since you judge with tranquility, and since you administer us with great reverence; for it is close to you to be used whenever you will.
18 But you, being sovereign in strength, judge in gentleness, and with great forbearance you govern us; for the power is yours whenever you desire it.
19 But you have taught your people, through such works, that they must be just and humane, and you have made your sons to be of good hope, because in judging you provide a place for repentance from sins.
19 But you taught your people by such works as these, how the righteous must be kind. You made your sons to have good hope, because you give repentance when men have sinned.
20 For even if the enemies of your servants were deserving of death, you afflicted them with great attentiveness, providing a time and a place whereby they would be able to be changed from malice;
20 For if on those who were enemies of your servants and deserving of death, you took vengeance with so great deliberation and indulgence, giving them times and opportunities when they might escape from their wickedness,
21 with what diligence, then, have you judged your sons, whose parents you have given oaths and covenants in good faith!
21 with how great care you judged your sons, to whose fathers you gave oaths and covenants of good promises!
22 Therefore, while you give us discipline, you give our enemies a multiplicity of scourges, so that in judging we may think on your goodness, and when we are judged, we may hope for mercy.
22 Therefore while you chasten us, you scourge our enemies ten thousand times more, to the intent that we may ponder your goodness when we judge, and when we are judged may look for mercy.
23 Therefore, also to these, who have lived their life irrationally and unjustly, through these things that they worshiped, you gave the greatest torments.
23 Therefore also the unrighteous that lived in a life of folly, you tormented through their own abominations.
24 And, indeed, they wandered for a long time in the way of error, valuing those things as gods, which are worthless even among animals, living in foolish irrational behavior.
24 For truly they went astray very far in the ways of error, Taking as gods those animals which even among their enemies were held in dishonor, deceived like foolish babes.
25 Because of this, you have given a judgment in derision, as if from foolish children.
25 Therefore, as to unreasoning children, you sent your judgment to mock them.
26 But those who have not been corrected by mockery and chiding, have experienced a judgment worthy of God.
26 But those who would not be admonished by mild correction will experience the deserved judgment of God.
27 For among those who were indignant at their sufferings, which came through those things that they reputed to be gods, when they saw that they would be destroyed by these same things, those who formerly refused knowledge of him, now acknowledged the true God, and, because of this, the end of their condemnation came upon them.
27 For through the sufferings they were indignant of, being punished in these creatures which they supposed to be gods, they saw and recognized as the true God him whom they previously refused to know. Therefore also the result of extreme condemnation came upon them.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For that is to be observed and remembered which is written in the Wisdom of Solomon, "But Thou, Lord of power, judgest with tranquillity, and with great favour orderest us." The "wrath" of God then is an emotion which is produced in the soul which knoweth the law of God, when it sees this same law transgressed by the sinner.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
… read of also in Wisdom, whence it is written, "Therefore unto them, as to children without the use of reason, Thou didst give a judgment to mock them; But they that have not been corrected by this judgment have felt a judgment worthy of God." Whoso then are not corrected by this hidden judgment of God, shall most worthily be …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)