The Wisdom of Solomon Chapter IX

This excerpt is taken from The Apocrapha An American Translation by: Edgar J. Goodspeed. Vintage Books (A Division of Random House) New York. C. 1959. 1938.


1 "God of my forefathers and merciful Lord,
Who created all things by your word,
2 And by your wisdom formed man
To rule over the creatures you had made,
3 And manage the world in holiness and uprightness,
And pass judgment in rectitude of soul,
4 Give me the wisdom that sits by your throne,
And do not reject me as unfit to be one of your servants.
5 For I am your slave and the son of your maidservant,
A man weak and short-lived,
And inferior in my understanding and judgment;
6 For even if one among the sons of men is perfect,
If the wisdom that comes from you is lacking, he will count
for nothing.
7 You have chosen me out to be king of your people,
And to be judge of your sons and daughters;
8 You told me to build a sanctuary on your holy mountain,
And an altar in the city where you dwell,
A copy of the holy tent which you prepared in the beginning;
9 And with you is wisdom, which knows your works,
And was present when you made the world,
And understands what is pleasing in your sight,
And what is in accord with your commands.
10 Send her forth from the holy heavens
And dispatch her from your glorious throne,
To be with me and toil,
And so that I may know what is pleasing to you.
11 For she knows and understands all things,
And she will guide me with good sense in my actions,
And will guard me with her splendor.
12 Then my doings will be acceptable,
And I will judge your people uprightly,
And be worthy of the throne of my father.
13 For what man can know the counsel of God,
Or who can decide what the Lord wills?
14 For the calculations of mortals are timid,
And our designs are likely to fail,
15 For a perishable body weighs down the soul,
And its earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.
16 We can hardly guess at things upon the earth,
And we have hard work finding the things that are just at 
hand,
But who has tracked out the things of heaven?
17 And who has learned your counsel unless you gave him
wisdom,
And sent your holy spirit from on high?
18 So the paths of those who were on the earth were straightened,
And men were taught the things that please you,
And were saved by wisdom."