1 Αὕτη πρωτόπλαστον πατέρα κόσμου μόνον κτισθέντα διεφύλαξε, καὶ ἐξείλατο αὐτὸν ἐκ παραπτώματος ἰδίου, 2 ἔδωκέ τε αὐτῷ ἰσχὺν κρατῆσαι ἁπάντων. 3 Ἀποστὰς δὲ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς ἄδικος ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ, ἀδελφοκτόνοις συναπώλετο θυμοῖς, 4 διʼ ὃν κατακλυζομένην γῆν πάλιν διέσωσε σοφία, διʼ εὐτελοῦς ξύλου τὸν δίκαιον κυβερνήσασα. 5 Αὕτη καὶ ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ πονηρίας ἐθνῶν συγχυθέντων εὗρε τὸν δίκαιον, καὶ ἐτήρησεν αὐτὸν ἄμεμπτον Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τέκνου σπλάγχνοις ἰσχυρὸν ἐφύλαξεν. 6 Αὕτη δίκαιον, ἐξαπολλυμένων ἀσεβῶν, ἐῤῥύσατο φυγόντα πῦρ καταβάσιον Πενταπόλεως· 7 οἷς ἐτὶ μαρτύριον τῆς πονηρίας καπνιζομένη καθέστηκε χέρσος, καὶ ἀτελέσιν ὥραις καρποφοροῦντα φυτά· ἀπιστοῦσης ψυχῆς μνημεῖον ἑστηκυῖα στήλη ἁλός. 8 Σοφίαν γὰρ παροδεύσαντες οὐ μόνον ἐβλάβησαν τοῦ μὴ γνῶναι τὰ καλὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀφροσύνης ἀπέλιπον τῷ βίῳ μνημόσυνον, ἵνα ἐν οἷς ἐσφάλησαν μηδὲ λαθεῖν δυνηθῶσι. 9 Σοφία δὲ τοὺς θεραπεύσαντας αὐτὴν ἐκ πόνων ἐῤῥύσατο. 10 Αὕτη φυγάδα ὀργῆς ἀδελφοῦ δίκαιον ὡδήγησεν ἐν τρίβοις εὐθείαις, ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ βασιλείαν Θεοῦ, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ γνῶσιν ἁγίων, εὐπόρησεν αὐτὸν ἐν μόχθοις, καὶ ἐπλήθυνε τοὺς πόνους αὐτοῦ. 11 Ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ κατισχύοντων αὐτὸν παρέστη, καὶ ἐπλούτισεν αὐτόν. 12 Διεφύλαξεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ ἐχθρῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ ἐνεδρευόντων ἠσφαλίσατο, καὶ ἀγῶνα ἰσχυρὸν ἐβράβευσεν αὐτῷ, ἵνα γνῷ, ὅτι παντὸς δυνατωτέρα ἐστὶν εὐσέβεια. 13 Αὕτη πραθέντα δίκαιον οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπεν, ἀλλὰ ἐξ ἁμαρτίας ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτόν· 14 συγκατέβη αὐτῷ εἰς λάκκον, καὶ ἐν δεσμοῖς οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν, ἕως ἤνεγκεν αὐτῷ σκῆπτρα βασιλείας καὶ ἐξουσίαν τυραννούντων αὐτοῦ· ψευδεῖς τε ἔδειξε τοὺς μωμησαμένους αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δόξαν αἰώνιον. 15 Αὕτη λαὸν ὅσιον καὶ σπέρμα ἄμεμπτον ἐῤῥύσατο ἐξ ἔθνους θλιβόντων. 16 Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς ψυχὴν θεράποντος Κυρίου, καὶ ἀντέστη βασιλεῦσι φοβεροῖς ἐν τέρασι καὶ σημείοις. 17 Ἀπέδωκεν ὁσίοις μισθὸν κόπων αὐτῶν, ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν ὁδῷ θαυμαστῇ, καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς εἰς σκέπην ἡμέρας, καὶ εἰς φλόγα ἄστρων τὴν νύκτα. 18 Διεβίβασεν αὐτοὺς θάλασσαν ἐρυθρὰν, καὶ διήγαγεν αὐτοὺς διʼ ὕδατος πολλοῦ. 19 Τοὺς δὲ ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν κατέκλυσε, καὶ ἐκ βάθους ἀβύσσου ἀνέβρασεν αὐτούς. 20 Διὰ τοῦτο δίκαιοι ἐσκύλευσαν ἀσεβεῖς, καὶ ὕμνησαν Κύριε τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιόν σου, τήν τε ὑπέρμαχόν σου χεῖρα ᾔνεσαν ὁμοθυμαδόν. 21 Ὅτι ἡ σοφία ἤνοιξε στόμα κωφῶν, καὶ γλώσσας νηπίων ἔθηκε τρανάς.
Wisdom of Solomon · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Wisdom of Solomon 10 Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Notes on this text (1)
- Ezra and Nehemiah form one book (2 Esdras) in this edition; the reader shows them as Ezra 1–10 and Nehemiah 1–13.
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).
… the Emperor Julian, there was a law made by which Christians were forbidden to teach grammar and oratory, and he, in obedience to this law, chose rather to abandon the wordy school than Thy word, by which Thou makest eloquent the tongues of the dumb, --he appeared to me not more brave than happy, in having thus discovered an opportunity …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
… disdained not to listen to him, but even admitted his opinion, and was persuaded, and recorded it; and was not ashamed to hand down the circumstances to history; casting down [so] the pride of the many. Wherefore also he left this story to the world engraven as it were on a pillar, for he knew that it would be useful …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 12 (1889)