Wisdom of Solomon · King James Version (with Apocrypha)
Wisdom of Solomon 1 King James Version (with Apocrypha)
1 Love righteousness, ye that be judges of the earth: think of the Lord with a good (heart,) and in simplicity of heart seek him.
1 Love righteousness, all you who are judges of the earth. Think of the Lord with a good mind. Seek him in singleness of heart,
2 For he will be found of them that tempt him not; and sheweth himself unto such as do not distrust him.
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 froward thoughts separate from God: and his power, when it is tried, reproveth the unwise.
3 for crooked thoughts separate from God. His Power convicts when it is tested, and exposes the foolish;
4 For into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter; nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin.
4 because wisdom will not enter into a soul that devises evil, nor dwell in a body that is enslaved by sin.
5 For the holy spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and remove from thoughts that are without understanding, and will not abide when unrighteousness cometh in.
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 wisdom is a loving spirit; and will not acquit a blasphemer of his words: for God is witness of his reins, and a true beholder of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue.
6 For wisdom is a spirit who loves man, and she will not hold a 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 For the Spirit of the Lord filleth the world: and that which containeth all things hath knowledge of the voice.
7 Because the spirit of the Lord has filled the world, and that which holds all things together knows what is said.
8 Therefore he that speaketh unrighteous things cannot be hid: neither shall vengeance, when it punisheth, pass by him.
8 Therefore no one who utters unrighteous things will be unseen; neither will Justice, when it convicts, pass him by.
9 For inquisition shall be made into the counsels of the ungodly: and the sound of his words shall come unto the Lord for the manifestation of his wicked deeds.
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 For the ear of jealousy heareth all things: and the noise of murmurings is not hid.
10 because a jealous ear listens to all things, and the noise of murmurings is not hidden.
11 Therefore beware of murmuring, which is unprofitable; and refrain your tongue from backbiting: for there is no word so secret, that shall go for nought: and the mouth that belieth slayeth the soul.
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 Seek not death in the error of your life: and pull not upon yourselves destruction with the works of your hands.
12 Don’t court death in the error of your life. Don’t draw destruction upon yourselves by the works of your hands;
13 For God made not death: neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living.
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 their being: and the generations of the world were healthful; and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor the kingdom of death upon the earth:
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 royal dominion upon earth;
15 (For righteousness is immortal:)
15 for righteousness is immortal,
16 But ungodly men with their works and words called it to them: for when they thought to have it their friend, they consumed to nought, and made a covenant with it, because they are worthy to take part with it.
16 but ungodly men by their hands and their words summon death; deeming him a friend they pined away. They made a covenant with him, because they are worthy to belong with him.
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).
… to beware of offending Him, suppose that he can serve two masters; and let him disentangle the upright intention of his heart from all doubleness: for thus he will think of the Lord with a good heart, and in simplicity of heart will seek Him. Chapter XV
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
saith the Lord," and "The Spirit of the Lord filleth the world," if God partly contains and partly is contained?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
But the Spirit is believed to have been operating at the same time in Habakkuk and in Daniel at Babylon, and to have been at the prison with Jeremiah, and with Ezekiel at the Chebar. For the Spirit of the Lord filleth the world, and "whither shall I go from thy spirit?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)
For God did not create death, neither does He take delight in the destruction of living things.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 9 (1899)
… now detest and abhor such impiety, if ye keep clean for the Creator His own temple, if ye would that He should come and make His abode with you, "Think of the Lord with a good heart, and in simplicity of heart seek for Him." Mark well who it is to whom ye say, if so be ye do say …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)