1 Ἀκούσατε οὖν βασιλεῖς καὶ σύνετε, μάθετε δικασταὶ περάτων γῆς. 2 Ἐνωτίσασθε οἱ κρατοῦντες πλήθους, καὶ γεγαυρομένοι ἐπὶ ὄχλοις ἐθνῶν. 3 Ὅτι ἐδόθη παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ κράτησις ὑμῖν, καὶ ἡ δυναστεία παρὰ ὑψίστου, ὃς ἐξετάσει ὑμῶν τὰ ἔργα, καὶ τὰς βουλὰς διερευνήσει. 4 Ὅτι ὑπηρέται ὄντες τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας οὐκ ἐκρίνατε ὀρθῶς, οὐδὲ ἐφυλάξατε νόμον, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπορεύθητε· 5 φρικτῶς καὶ ταχέως ἐπιστήσεται ὑμῖν, ὅτι κρίσις ἀπότομος ἐν τοῖς ὑπερέχουσιν γίνεται. 6 Ὁ γὰρ ἐλάχιστος συγγνωστός ἐστιν ἐλέους, δυνατοὶ δὲ δυνατῶς ἐτασθήσονται· 7 οὐ γὰρ ὑποστελεῖται πρόσωπον ὁ πάντων δεσπότης, οὐδὲ ἐντραπήσεται μέγεθος· ὅτι μικρὸν καὶ μέγαν αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν, ὁμοίως τε προνοεῖ περὶ πάντων. 8 Τοῖς δὲ κραταιοῖς ἰσχυρὰ ἐφίσταται ἔρευνα. 9 Πρὸς ὑμᾶς οὖν ὦ τύραννοι οἱ λόγοι μου, ἵνα μάθητε σοφίαν καὶ μὴ παραπέσητε. 10 Οἱ γὰρ φυλάξαντες ὁσίως τὰ ὅσια ὁσιωθήσονται, καὶ οἱ διδαχθέντες αὐτὰ εὑρήσουσιν ἀπολογίαν. 11 Ἐπιθυμήσατε οὖν τῶν λόγων μου, ποθήσατε καὶ παιδευθήσεσθε. 12 Λαμπρὰ καὶ ἀμάραντός ἐστιν ἡ σοφία, καὶ εὐχερῶς θεωρεῖται ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγαπώντων αὐτήν, καὶ εὑρίσκεται ὑπὸ τῶν ζητούντων αὐτήν. 13 Φθάνει τοὺς ἐπιθυμοῦντας προγνωσθῆναι. 14 Ὁ ὀρθρίσας ἐπʼ αὐτὴν οὐ κοπιάσει, πάρεδρον γὰρ εὑρήσει τῶν πυλῶν αὐτοῦ. 15 Τὸ γὰρ ἐνθυμηθῆναι περὶ αὐτῆς φρονήσεως τελειότης, καὶ ὁ ἀγρυπνήσας διʼ αὐτὴν ταχέως ἀμέριμνος ἔσται. 16 Ὅτι τοὺς ἀξίους αὐτῆς αὕτη περιέρχεται ζητοῦσα, καὶ ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις φαντάζεται αὐτοῖς εὐμενῶς, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ἐπινοίᾳ ὑπαντᾷ αὐτοῖς. 17 Ἀρχὴ γὰρ αὐτῆς ἡ ἀληθεστάτη παιδείας ἐπιθυμία, φροντὶς δὲ παιδείας ἀγάπη, 18 ἀγάπη δὲ τήρησις νόμων αὐτῆς, προσοχὴ δὲ νόμων βεβαίωσις ἀφθαρσίας, 19 ἀφθαρσία δὲ ἐγγὺς εἶναι ποιεῖ Θεοῦ. 20 Ἐπιθυμία ἄρα σοφίας ἀνάγει ἐπὶ βασιλείαν. 21 Εἰ οὖν ἥδεσθε ἐπὶ θρόνοις καὶ σκήπτροις τύραννοι λαῶν, τιμήσατε σοφίαν, ἵνα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα βασιλεύσητε· 22 Τί δέ ἐστι σοφία καὶ πῶς ἐγένετο, ἀπαγγελῶ, καὶ οὐκ ἀποκρύψω ὑμῖν μυστήρια, ἀλλʼ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς γενέσεως ἐξιχνιάσω, καὶ θήσω εἰς τὸ ἐμφανὲς τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐ μὴ παροδεύσω τὴν ἀλήθειαν· 23 οὔτε μὴν φθόνῳ τετηκότι συνοδεύσω, ὅτι οὗτος οὐ κοινωνήσει σοφίᾳ. 24 Πλῆθος δὲ σοφῶν σωτηρία κόσμου, καὶ βασιλεὺς φρόνιμος εὐστάθεια δήμου. 25 Ὥστε παιδεύεσθε τοῖς ῥήμασί μου, καὶ ὠφεληθήσεσθε.
Wisdom of Solomon · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Wisdom of Solomon 6 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 apostle "desires to depart, and to be with Christ." And, "My soul desired to long for Thy judgments;" or if it is more appropriate to say, "My soul longed to desire Thy judgments." And, "The desire of wisdom bringeth to a kingdom." Yet there has always obtained the usage of understanding desire and concupiscence in a bad sense if …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
"For mighty" men (it is said) "shall be mightily tormented:" and "He that knew his Lord's will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes." So that more knowledge is a ground of more punishment.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Only let us open to Him our doors; for He goeth about seeking such as are worthy and searching on whom He may confer His gifts.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
And, therefore, Scripture does not say that the multitude of the eloquent, but "the multitude of the wise is the welfare of the world." And as we must often swallow wholesome bitters, so we must always avoid unwholesome sweets.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)