Wisdom 13

Apo

1 Surely vain are all men by nature, who are ignorant of God, and could not out of the good things that are seen know him that is: neither by considering the works did they acknowledge the workmaster;

2 But deemed either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the violent water, or the lights of heaven, to be the gods which govern the world.

3 With whose beauty if they being delighted took them to be gods; let them know how much better the Lord of them is: for the first author of beauty hath created them.

4 But if they were astonished at their power and virtue, let them understand by them, how much mightier he is that made them.

5 For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures proportionably the maker of them is seen.

6 But yet for this they are the less to be blamed: for they peradventure err, seeking God, and desirous to find him.

7 For being conversant in his works they search him diligently, and believe their sight: because the things are beautiful that are seen.

8 Howbeit neither are they to be pardoned.

9 For if they were able to know so much, that they could aim at the world; how did they not sooner find out the Lord thereof?

10 But miserable are they, and in dead things is their hope, who call them gods, which are the works of men's hands, gold and silver, to shew art in, and resemblances of beasts, or a stone good for nothing, the work of an ancient hand.

11 Now a carpenter that felleth timber, after he hath sawn down a tree meet for the purpose, and taken off all the bark skilfully round about, and hath wrought it handsomely, and made a vessel thereof fit for the service of man's life;

12 And after spending the refuse of his work to dress his meat, hath filled himself;

13 And taking the very refuse among those which served to no use, being a crooked piece of wood, and full of knots, hath carved it diligently, when he had nothing else to do, and formed it by the skill of his understanding, and fashioned it to the image of a man;

14 Or made it like some vile beast, laying it over with vermilion, and with paint colouring it red, and covering every spot therein;

15 And when he had made a convenient room for it, set it in a wall, and made it fast with iron:

16 For he provided for it that it might not fall, knowing that it was unable to help itself; for it is an image, and hath need of help:

17 Then maketh he prayer for his goods, for his wife and children, and is not ashamed to speak to that which hath no life.

18 For health he calleth upon that which is weak: for life prayeth to that which is dead; for aid humbly beseecheth that which hath least means to help: and for a good journey he asketh of that which cannot set a foot forward:

19 And for gaining and getting, and for good success of his hands, asketh ability to do of him, that is most unable to do any thing.

Sep

1 μάταιοι μὲν γὰρ πάντες ἄνθρωποι φύσει οἷς παρῆν θεοῦ ἀγνωσία καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἀγαθῶν οὐκ ἴσχυσαν εἰδέναι τὸν ὄντα οὔτε τοῖς ἔργοις προσέχοντες ἐπέγνωσαν τὸν τεχνίτην

2 ἀλλ᾽ ἢ πῦρ ἢ πνεῦμα ἢ ταχινὸν ἀέρα ἢ κύκλον ἄστρων ἢ βίαιον ὕδωρ ἢ φωστῆρας οὐρανοῦ πρυτάνεις κόσμου θεοὺς ἐνόμισαν

3 ὧν εἰ μὲν τῇ καλλονῇ τερπόμενοι ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπελάμβανον γνώτωσαν πόσῳ τούτων ὁ δεσπότης ἐστὶ βελτίων ὁ γὰρ τοῦ κάλλους γενεσιάρχης ἔκτισεν αὐτά

4 εἰ δὲ δύναμιν καὶ ἐνέργειαν ἐκπλαγέντες νοησάτωσαν ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν πόσῳ ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτὰ δυνατώτερός ἐστιν

5 ἐκ γὰρ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ὁ γενεσιουργὸς αὐτῶν θεωρεῖται

6 ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἐπὶ τούτοις μέμψις ἐστὶν ὀλίγη καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τάχα πλανῶνται θεὸν ζητοῦντες καὶ θέλοντες εὑρεῖν

7 ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ ἀναστρεφόμενοι διερευνῶσιν καὶ πείθονται τῇ ὄψει ὅτι καλὰ τὰ βλεπόμενα

8 πάλιν δ᾽ οὐδ᾽ αὐτοὶ συγγνωστοί

9 εἰ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσαν εἰδέναι ἵνα δύνωνται στοχάσασθαι τὸν αἰῶνα τὸν τούτων δεσπότην πῶς τάχιον οὐχ εὗρον

10 ταλαίπωροι δὲ καὶ ἐν νεκροῖς αἱ ἐλπίδες αὐτῶν οἵτινες ἐκάλεσαν θεοὺς ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον τέχνης ἐμμελέτημα καὶ ἀπεικάσματα ζῴων ἢ λίθον ἄχρηστον χειρὸς ἔργον ἀρχαίας

11 εἰ δὲ καί τις ὑλοτόμος τέκτων εὐκίνητον φυτὸν ἐκπρίσας περιέξυσεν εὐμαθῶς πάντα τὸν φλοιὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τεχνησάμενος εὐπρεπῶς κατεσκεύασεν χρήσιμον σκεῦος εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν ζωῆς

12 τὰ δὲ ἀποβλήματα τῆς ἐργασίας εἰς ἑτοιμασίαν τροφῆς ἀναλώσας ἐνεπλήσθη

13 τὸ δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπόβλημα εἰς οὐθὲν εὔχρηστον ξύλον σκολιὸν καὶ ὄζοις συμπεφυκός λαβὼν ἔγλυψεν ἐν ἐπιμελείᾳ ἀργίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ συνέσεως ἐτύπωσεν αὐτό ἀπείκασεν αὐτὸ εἰκόνι ἀνθρώπου

14 ἢ ζῴῳ τινὶ εὐτελεῖ ὡμοίωσεν αὐτὸ καταχρίσας μίλτῳ καὶ φύκει ἐρυθήνας χρόαν αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσαν κηλῖδα τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ καταχρίσας

15 καὶ ποιήσας αὐτῷ αὐτοῦ ἄξιον οἴκημα ἐν τοίχῳ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸ ἀσφαλισάμενος σιδήρῳ

16 ἵνα μὲν οὖν μὴ καταπέσῃ προενόησεν αὐτοῦ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἀδυνατεῖ ἑαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι καὶ γάρ ἐστιν εἰκὼν καὶ χρείαν ἔχει βοηθείας

17 περὶ δὲ κτημάτων καὶ γάμων αὐτοῦ καὶ τέκνων προσευχόμενος οὐκ αἰσχύνεται τῷ ἀψύχῳ προσλαλῶν καὶ περὶ μὲν ὑγιείας τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἐπικαλεῖται

18 περὶ δὲ ζωῆς τὸ νεκρὸν ἀξιοῖ περὶ δὲ ἐπικουρίας τὸ ἀπειρότατον ἱκετεύει περὶ δὲ ὁδοιπορίας τὸ μηδὲ βάσει χρῆσθαι δυνάμενον

19 περὶ δὲ πορισμοῦ καὶ ἐργασίας καὶ χειρῶν ἐπιτυχίας τὸ ἀδρανέστατον ταῖς χερσὶν εὐδράνειαν αἰτεῖται

Vul

1 [Vani autem sunt omnes homines
in quibus non subest scientia Dei;
et de his quæ videntur bona,
non potuerunt intelligere eum qui est,
neque operibus attendentes agnoverunt quis esset artifex:

2 sed aut ignem, aut spiritum, aut citatum aërem,
aut gyrum stellarum, aut nimiam aquam, aut solem et lunam,
rectores orbis terrarum deos putaverunt.

3 Quorum si specie delectati, deos putaverunt,
sciant quanto his dominator eorum speciosior est:
speciei enim generator hæc omnia constituit.

4 Aut si virtutem et opera eorum mirati sunt,
intelligant ab illis quoniam qui hæc fecit fortior est illis:

5 a magnitudine enim speciei et creaturæ
cognoscibiliter poterit creator horum videri.

6 Sed tamen adhuc in his minor est querela;
et hi enim fortasse errant,
Deum quærentes, et volentes invenire.

7 Etenim cum in operibus illius conversentur inquirunt,
et persuasum habent quoniam bona sunt quæ videntur.

8 Iterum autem nec his debet ignosci.

9 Si enim tantum potuerunt scire
ut possent æstimare sæculum,
quomodo hujus Dominum non facilius invenerunt?]

10 [Infelices autem sunt,
et inter mortuos spes illorum est,
qui appellaverunt deos opera manuum hominum:
aurum et argentum, artis inventionem,
et similitudines animalium, aut lapidem inutilem,
opus manus antiquæ.

11 Aut si quis artifex faber de silva lignum rectum secuerit,
et hujus docte eradat omnem corticem,
et arte sua usus
diligenter fabricet vas utile in conversationem vitæ;

12 reliquiis autem ejus operis
ad præparationem escæ abutatur,

13 et reliquum horum quod ad nullos usus facit,
lignum curvum et vorticibus plenum
sculpat diligenter per vacuitatem suam,
et per scientiam suæ artis figuret illud,
et assimilet illud imagini hominis,

14 aut alicui ex animalibus illud comparet:
perliniens rubrica, et rubicundum faciens fuco colorem illius,
et omnem maculam quæ in illo est perliniens;

15 et faciat ei dignam habitationem,
et in pariete ponens illud,
et confirmans ferro

16 ne forte cadat,
prospiciens illi:
sciens quoniam non potest adjuvare se:
imago enim est, et opus est illi adjutorium.

17 Et de substantia sua, et de filiis suis,
et de nuptiis votum faciens inquirit:
non erubescit loqui cum illo qui sine anima est.

18 Et pro sanitate quidem infirmum deprecatur,
et pro vita rogat mortuum,
et in adjutorium inutilem invocat.

19 Et pro itinere petit ab eo qui ambulare non potest;
et de acquirendo, et de operando,
et de omnium rerum eventu,
petit ab eo qui in omnibus est inutilis.]