1 Εἰμι μὲν κᾀγὼ θνητὸς ἄνθρωπος, ἶσος ἅπασι, καὶ γηγενοῦς ἀπόγονος πρωτοπλάστου. 2 Καὶ ἐν κοιλίᾳ μητρὸς ἐγλύφην σὰρξ δεκαμηνιαίῳ χρόνῳ, παγεὶς ἐν αἵματι ἐκ σπέρματος ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἡδονῆς ὕπνῳ συνελθούσης. 3 Καὶ ἐγὼ δὲ γενόμενος ἔσπασα τὸν κοινὸν ἀέρα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ὁμοιοπαθῆ κατέπεσον γῆν, πρώτην φωνὴν τὴν ὁμοίαν πᾶσιν ἶσα κλαίων. 4 Ἐν σπαργάνοις ἀνετράφην, καὶ ἐν φροντίσιν. 5 Οὐδεὶς γὰρ βασιλεὺς ἑτέραν ἔσχε γενέσεως ἀρχήν. 6 Μία δὲ πάντων εἴσοδος εἰς τὸν βίον, ἔξοδός τε ἴση. 7 Διὰ τοῦτο ηὐξάμην, καὶ φρόνησις ἐδόθη μοι, ἐπεκαλεσάμην, καὶ ἦλθέ μοι πνεῦμα σοφίας. 8 Προέκρινα αὐτὴν σκήπτρων καὶ θρόνων, καὶ πλοῦτον οὐδὲν ἡγησάμην ἐν συγκρίσει αὐτῆς. 9 Οὐδὲ ὁμοίωσα αὐτῇ λίθον ἀτίμητον, ὅτι ὁ πᾶς χρυσὸς ἐν ὄψει αὐτῆς ψάμμος ὀλίγη, καὶ ὡς πηλὸς λογισθήσεται ἄργυρος ἐναντίον αὐτῆς. 10 Ὑπὲρ ὑγίειαν καὶ εὐμορφίαν ἠγάπησα αὐτὴν, καὶ προειλόμην αὐτὴν ἀντὶ φωτὸς ἔχειν, ὅτι ἀκοίμητον τὸ ἐκ ταύτης φέγγος. 11 Ἦλθε δέ μοι τὰ ἀγαθὰ ὁμοῦ πάντα μετʼ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀναρίθμητος πλοῦτος ἐν χερσὶν αὐτῆς. 12 Εὐφράνθην δὲ ἐπὶ πάντων, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἡγεῖται σοφία, ἠγνόουν δὲ αὐτὴν γενέτιν εἶναι τούτων. 13 Ἀδόλως τε ἔμαθον, ἀφθόνως τε μεταδίδωμι, τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῆς οὐκ ἀποκρύπτομαι. 14 Ἀνεκλιπὴς γὰρ θησαυρός ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις, ὃν οἱ χρησάμενοι πρὸς Θεὸν ἐστείλαντο φιλίαν, διὰ τὰς ἐκ παιδείας δωρεὰς συσταθέντες. 15 Ἐμοὶ δὲ δῴη ὁ Θεὸς εἰπεῖν κατὰ γνώμην, καὶ ἐνθυμηθῆναι ἀξίως τῶν δεδομένων, ὅτι αὐτὸς καὶ τῆς σοφίας ὁδηγός ἐστι, καὶ τῶν σοφῶν διορθωτής. 16 Ἐν γὰρ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ λόγοι ἡμῶν, πᾶσά τε φρόνησις καὶ ἐργατειῶν ἐπιστήμη. 17 Αὐτὸς γάρ μοι ἔδωκε τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν ἀψευδῆ, εἰδέναι σύστασιν κόσμου καὶ ἐνέργειαν στοιχείων, 18 ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος καὶ μεσότητα χρόνων, τροπῶν ἀλλαγὰς καὶ μεταβολὰς καιρῶν, 19 ἐνιαυτῶν κύκλους καὶ ἀστέρων θέσεις, 20 φύσεις ζώων καὶ θυμοὺς θηρίων, πνευμάτων βίας καὶ διαλογισμοὺς ἀνθρώπων, διαφορὰς φυτῶν καὶ δυνάμεις ῥιζῶν, 21 ὅσα τέ ἐστι κρυπτὰ καὶ ἐμφανῆ ἔγνων. 22 Ἡ γὰρ πάντων τεχνίτις ἐδίδαξέ με σοφία· ἔστι γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ πνεῦμα νοερὸν, ἅγιον, μονογενὲς, πολυμερὲς, λεπτὸν, εὐκίνητον, τρανὸν, ἀμόλυντον, σαφὲς, ἀπήμαντον, φιλάγαθον, ὀξὺ, ἀκώλυτον, εὐεργετικὸν, 23 φιλάνθρωπον, βέβαιον, ἀσφαλὲς, ἀμέριμνον, παντοδύναμον, πανεπίσκοπον, καὶ διὰ πάντων χωροῦν πνευμάτων νοερῶν, καθαρῶν, λεπτοτάτων. 24 Πάσης γὰρ κινήσεως κινητικώτερον σοφία, διήκει δὲ καὶ χωρεῖ διὰ πάντων διὰ τὴν καθαρότητα. 25 Ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως. καὶ ἀπόῤῥοια τῆς τοῦ παντοκράτορος δόξης εἰλικρινής· διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲν μεμιαμμένον εἰς αὐτὴν παρεμπίπτει. 26 Ἀπαύγασμα γάρ ἐστι φωτὸς ἀϊδίου, καὶ ἔσοπτρον ἀκηλίδωτον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνεργείας, καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ. 27 Μία δὲ οὖσα πάντα δύναται, καὶ μένουσα ἐν αὑτῇ τὰ πάντα καινίζει, καὶ κατὰ γενεὰς εἰς ψυχὰς ὁσίας μεταβαίνουσα, φίλους Θεοῦ καὶ προφήτας κατασκευάζει. 28 Οὐθὲν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Θεὸς, εἰ μὴ τὸν σοφίᾳ συνοικοῦντα. 29 Ἔστι γὰρ αὕτη εὐπρεπεστέρα ἡλίου, καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἄστρων θέσιν, φωτὶ συγκρινομένη εὑρίσκεται προτέρα. 30 Τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ διαδέχεται νὺξ, σοφίας δὲ οὐκ ἀντισχύει κακία.
Wisdom of Solomon · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Wisdom of Solomon 7 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).
In Holy Scripture, it is true, the Spirit of wisdom is called "manifold" because it contains many things in it; but what it contains it also is, and it being one is all these things.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… the Light of the World." Wisdom and Power, "Christ, the Wisdom of God, and the Power of God." The Effulgence, the Impress, the Image, the Seal; "Who being the Effulgence of His glory and the Impress of His Essence," and "the Image of His Goodness," and "Him hath God the Father sealed." Lord, King, He That Is, The Almighty.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
… they address it may give ear; and when the discourse has a happy issue, they ought to render thanks to Him from whom they know such blessings come, so that all the praise may be His "in whose hand are both we and our words." Chapter 31 — Apology for the Length of the Work
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Whether you are to understand His sun as being not that which is visible to the fleshly eyes, but that wisdom of which it is said, "She is the brightness of the everlasting light;" of which it is also said, "The Sun of righteousness has arisen upon me;" and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)