Wisdom of Solomon · Revised Version with Apocrypha
Wisdom of Solomon 5 Revised Version with Apocrypha
1 Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness Before the face of them that afflicted him, And them that make his labours of no account.
1 Then the righteous man will stand in great boldness before the face of those who afflicted him, and those who make his labors of no account.
2 When they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, And shall be amazed at the marvel of [God’s ] salvation.
2 When they see him, they will be troubled with terrible fear, and will be amazed at the marvel of salvation.
3 They shall say within themselves repenting, And for distress of spirit shall they groan, This was he whom aforetime we had in derision, And [made ] a parable of reproach:
3 They will speak among themselves repenting, and for distress of spirit they will groan, “This was he whom we used to hold in derision, as a parable of reproach.
4 We fools accounted his life madness, And his end without honour:
4 We fools considered his life madness, and his end without honor.
5 How was he numbered among sons of God? And [how ] is his lot among saints?
5 How was he counted among sons of God? How is his lot among saints?
6 Verily we went astray from the way of truth, And the light of righteousness shined not for us, And the sun rose not for us.
6 Truly we went astray from the way of truth. The light of righteousness didn’t shine for us. The sun didn’t rise for us.
7 We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction, And we journeyed through trackless deserts, But the way of the Lord we knew not.
7 We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction. We traveled through trackless deserts, but we didn’t know the Lord’s way.
8 What did our arrogancy profit us? And what good have riches and vaunting brought us?
8 What did our arrogance profit us? What good have riches and boasting brought us?
9 Those things all passed away as a shadow, And as a message that runneth by:
9 Those things all passed away as a shadow, like a rumor that runs by,
10 As a ship passing through the billowy water, Whereof, when it is gone by, there is no trace to be found, Neither pathway of its keel in the billows:
10 like a ship passing through the billowy water, which, when it has gone by, there is no trace to be found, no pathway of its keel in the waves.
11 Or as when a bird flieth through the air, No token of [her ] passage is found, But the light wind, lashed with the stroke of her pinions, And rent asunder with the violent rush of the moving wings, is passed through, And afterwards no sign of [her ] coming is found therein:
11 Or it is like when a bird flies through the air, no evidence of its passage is found, but the light wind, lashed with the stroke of its pinions, and torn apart with the violent rush of the moving wings, is passed through. Afterwards no sign of its coming remains.
12 Or as when an arrow is shot at a mark, The air disparted closeth up again immediately, So that men know not where it passed through:
12 Or it is like when an arrow is shot at a mark, the air it divided closes up again immediately, so that men don’t know where it passed through.
13 So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be; And of virtue we had no sign to shew, But in our wickedness we were utterly consumed.
13 So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be; and we had no sign of virtue to show, but we were utterly consumed in our wickedness.”
14 Because the hope of the ungodly man is as chaff carried by the wind, And as foam vanishing before a tempest; And is scattered as smoke [is scattered ] by the wind, And passeth by as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth but a day.
14 Because the hope of the ungodly man is like chaff carried by the wind, and as foam vanishing before a tempest; and is scattered like smoke by the wind, and passes by as the remembrance of a guest who stays just a day.
15 But the righteous live for ever, And in the Lord is their reward, And the care for them with the Most High.
15 But the righteous live forever. Their reward is in the Lord, and the care for them with the Most High.
16 Therefore shall they receive the crown of royal dignity And the diadem of beauty from the Lord’s hand; Because with his right hand shall he cover them, And with his arm shall he shield them.
16 Therefore they will receive the crown of royal dignity and the diadem of beauty from the Lord’s hand, because he will cover them with his right hand, and he will shield them with his arm.
17 He shall take his jealousy as complete armour, And shall make the [whole ] creation his weapons for vengeance on [his ] enemies:
17 He will take his zeal as complete armor, and will make the whole creation his weapons to punish his enemies:
18 He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, And shall array himself with judgement unfeigned as with a helmet;
18 He will put on righteousness as a breastplate, and will wear impartial judgment as a helmet.
19 He shall take holiness as an invincible shield,
19 He will take holiness as an invincible shield.
20 And he shall sharpen stern wrath for a sword: And the world shall go forth with him to fight against [his ] insensate [foes.]
20 He will sharpen stern wrath for a sword. The universe will go with him to fight against his frenzied foes.
21 Shafts of lightning shall fly with true aim, And from the clouds, as from a well drawn bow, shall they leap to the mark.
21 Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim. They will leap to the mark from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow.
22 And [as ] from an engine of war shall be hurled hailstones full of wrath; The water of the sea shall be angered against them, And rivers shall sternly overwhelm them;
22 Hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult. The water of the sea will be angered against them. Rivers will sternly overwhelm them.
23 A mighty blast shall encounter them, And as a tempest shall it winnow them away: And [so ] shall lawlessness make all the land desolate, And their evil-doing shall overturn the thrones of princes.
23 A mighty wind will encounter them. It will winnow them away like a tempest. So lawlessness will make all the land desolate. Their evil-doing will overturn the thrones of princes.
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).
For it is the expression of those who lose what they have wrought, that text which says, "What hath pride profited us, or what good hath riches with our vaunting brought us? All those things are passed away like a shadow." "The seed of the wicked," then, "shall be cut off."
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
If He is not to show, who will they be that are to say, "What hath profited us pride, and what hath boasting of riches bestowed upon us?" For then shall they know, that now will not know.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
Therefore we have strayed from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness hath not shone to us, and the sun hath not risen to us."...
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)