Invitation To Seek Wisdom
Chapter 1
Seek God, Not Death
1 Love justice, you who govern the earth,
turn your minds to the Lord in a righteous way,
and seek him with an upright heart.
2 For he will be found by those who do not put him to the test,
and he will reveal himself to those who do not cease to have confidence in him.
3 Perverse thoughts separate a man from God,
and when his power is put to the test, it reproaches the foolish.
4 Wisdom refuses to enter a soul devoted to evil
or to dwell in a body indebted to sin.
5 For the holy spirit of discipline shuns deceit,
shrinks away from foolish discourse,
and is ashamed at the approach of injustice.
6 Wisdom is a spirit filled with kindness,
but it will not excuse the guilt incurred by the blasphemer for his words,
since God is the witness of his innermost self,
accurately observing his heart
and listening to every word of his mouth.
7 For the spirit of the Lord fills the world,
and that which holds all things together is well aware of everything that is said.
8 Therefore, no one who utters wicked thoughts will escape detection,
nor will justice, in its chastisement, pass him by.
9 For the schemes of the wicked man will be investigated,
and the sound of his words will reach the Lord
to convict him of his transgressions,
10 because a jealous ear listens to everything,
and no sound of grumbling remains secret.
11 Therefore, beware of futile grumbling
and restrain your tongue from calumny,
for even something said in secret has repercussions,
and a lying mouth destroys the soul.
12 Do not invite death by a life prone to error,
nor incur destruction by the works of your hands.
13 For God did not make death,
nor does he delight in the death of the living.
14 He created all things so that they might have existence,
and the creatures of the world engender life.
There is no deadly poison in any of them,
and the domain of the netherworld is not on the earth,
15 for righteousness is immortal.
Wisdom or the Meaning of Our Destiny as Human Beings
The Covenant with Death
Born by Chance and Destined for Oblivion?
16 But the godless by their words and deeds summoned death,
regarded it as a friend, and longed for it.
They made a covenant with it
since they deserve to be in its company.
Footnotes
- Wisdom 1:1
- Wisdom 1:1
- Wisdom 1:5
- Wisdom 1:6
- Wisdom 1:7
- Wisdom 1:11
- Wisdom 1:14
- Wisdom 1:15
- Wisdom 1:16
- Wisdom 1:16
- Wisdom 1:16
