Wisdom of Solomon · Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Wisdom of Solomon 2 Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
DRB Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 For they have said, reasoning with themselves, but not right: The time of our life is short and tedious, and in the end of a man there is no remedy, and no man hath been known to have returned from hell:
1 For they said within themselves, with unsound reasoning, “Our life is short and sorrowful. There is no healing when a man comes to his end, and no one was ever known who was released from Hades.
2 For we are born of nothing, and after this we shall be as if we had not been: for the breath in our nostrils is smoke: and speech a spark to move our heart,
2 Because we were born by mere chance, and hereafter we will 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 heart,
3 Which being put out, our body shall be ashes, and our spirit shall be poured abroad as soft air, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, which is driven away by the beams of the sun, and overpowered with the heat thereof:
3 which being extinguished, the body will be turned into ashes, and the spirit will be dispersed as thin air.
4 And our name in time shall be forgotten, and no man shall have any remembrance of our works.
4 Our name will be forgotten in time. No one will remember our works. Our life will pass away as the traces of a cloud, and will be scattered as is a mist, when it is chased by the rays of the sun, and overcome by its heat.
5 For our time is as the passing of a shadow, and there is no going back of our end: for it is fast sealed, and no man returneth.
5 For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and our end doesn’t retreat, because it is securely sealed, and no one turns it back.
6 Come therefore, and let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth.
6 “Come therefore and let’s enjoy the good things that exist. Let’s use the creation earnestly as in our youth.
7 Let us fill ourselves with costly wine, and ointments: and let not the flower of the time pass by us.
7 Let’s fill ourselves with costly wine and perfumes, and let no spring flower pass us by.
8 Let us crown ourselves with roses, before they be withered: let no meadow escape our riot.
8 Let’s crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.
9 Let none of us go without his part in luxury: let us everywhere leave tokens of joy: for this is our portion, and this our lot.
9 Let none of us go without his share in our proud revelry. Let’s leave tokens of mirth everywhere, because this is our portion, and this is our lot.
10 Let us oppress the poor just man, and not spare the widow, nor honour the ancient grey hairs of the aged.
10 Let’s oppress the righteous poor. Let’s not spare the widow, nor regard the gray hair of the old man.
11 But let our strength be the law of justice: for that which is feeble, is found to be nothing worth.
11 But let our strength be a law of righteousness; for that which is weak is proven useless.
12 Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life.
12 But let’s lie in wait for the righteous man, because he annoys us, is contrary to our works, reproaches us with sins against the law, and charges us with sins against our training.
13 He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the son of God.
13 He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.
14 He is become a censurer of our thoughts.
14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts.
15 He is grievous unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men’s, and his ways are very different.
15 He is grievous to us even to look at, because his life is unlike other men’s, and his paths are strange.
16 We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father.
16 We were regarded by him as something worthless, and he abstains from our ways as from uncleanness. He calls the latter end of the righteous happy. He boasts that God is his father.
17 Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be.
17 Let’s see if his words are true. Let’s test what will happen at the end of his life.
18 For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies.
18 For if the righteous man is God’s son, he will uphold him, and he will deliver him out of the hand of his adversaries.
19 Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness and try his patience.
19 Let’s test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and test his patience.
20 Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect had unto him by his words.
20 Let’s condemn him to a shameful death, for he will be protected, according to his words.”
21 These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them.
21 Thus they reasoned, and they were led astray; for their wickedness blinded them,
22 And they knew not the secrets of God, nor hoped for the wages of justice, nor esteemed the honour of holy souls.
22 and they didn’t know the mysteries of God, neither did they hope for wages of holiness, nor did they discern that there is a prize for blameless souls.
23 For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him.
23 Because God created man for incorruption, and made him an image of his own everlastingness;
24 But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world:
24 but death entered into the world by the envy of the devil, and those who belong to him experience it.
25 And they follow him that are of his side.
25 Not in this translation
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).
… is become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world. Chapter IV — Many evils have already flowed from this source in ancient times For …
For he says, what it was foretold in the book of Wisdom that he should say, "He is grievous unto us, even to behold; for his life is not like other men's." Therefore he "seeks to slay him." What?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
"Let us condemn Him with a most shameful death, for by His own sayings He shall be respected;" for if he is indeed the Son of God, He will deliver Him from the hands of His adversaries: He will not suffer His Son to die, if He is truly His Son.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
… saith, "Behold there cometh the Prince of the world," being an acute observer of all sins; "Behold," He saith, "there cometh the Prince of this world," with death afflicting sinners, presiding over death: for, "By the malice of the devil death came into the world." "Behold," He saith, "there cometh the Prince of the world:"--He said these words close upon …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)