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ΣΟΦΙΑ ΣΑΛΩΜΩΝΟΣ | WISDOM OF SOLOMON - Brenton|RSV | Reference |
| 1 | Πλοῦν τις πάλιν στελλόμενος καὶ ἄγρια μέλλων διοδεύειν κύματα
τοῦ φέροντος αὐτὸν πλοίου σαθρότερον ξύλον ἐπιβοᾶται.
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Again, one preparing to sail and about to voyage over raging waves
calls upon a piece of wood more fragile than the ship which carries him.
| Idols. Wis.14.1-11 |
| 2 | ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὄρεξις πορισμῶν ἐπενόησεν,
τεχνῖτις δὲ σοφία κατεσκεύασεν·
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For it was desire for gain that planned that vessel,
and wisdom was the craftsman who built it;
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| 3 | ἡ δὲ σή, πάτερ, διακυβερνᾷ πρόνοια,
ὅτι ἔδωκας καὶ ἐν θαλάσσῃ ὁδὸν
καὶ ἐν κύμασι τρίβον ἀσφαλῆ
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but it is thy providence, O Father, that steers its course,
because thou hast given it a path in the sea,
and a safe way through the waves,
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| 4 | δεικνὺς ὅτι δύνασαι ἐκ παντὸς σῴζειν,
ἵνα κἂν ἄνευ τέχνης τις ἐπιβῇ.
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showing that thou canst save from every danger,
so that even if a man lacks skill, he may put to sea.
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| 5 | θέλεις δὲ μὴ ἀργὰ εἶναι τὰ τῆς σοφίας σου ἔργα·
διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐλαχίστῳ ξύλῳ πιστεύουσιν ἄνθρωποι ψυχὰς,
καὶ διελθόντες κλύδωνα σχεδίᾳ διεσώθησαν.
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It is thy will that works of thy wisdom should not be without effect;
therefore men trust their lives even to the smallest piece of wood,
and passing through the billows on a raft they come safely to land.
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| 6 | καὶ ἀρχῆς γὰρ ἀπολλυμένων ὑπερηφάνων γιγάντων,
ἡ ἐλπὶς τοῦ κόσμου ἐπὶ σχεδίας καταφυγοῦσα
ἀπέλιπεν αἰῶνι σπέρμα γενέσεως τῇ σῇ κυβερνηθεῖσα χειρί.
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For even in the beginning, when arrogant giants were perishing,
the hope of the world took refuge on a raft,
and guided by thy hand left to the world the seed of a new generation.
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| 7 | εὐλόγηται γὰρ ξύλον, δι' οὗ γίνεται δικαιοσύνη·
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For blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes.
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| 8 | τὸ χειροποίητον δέ, ἐπικατάρατον αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ ποιήσας αὐτό,
ὅτι ὁ μὲν ἠργάζετο, τὸ δὲ φθαρτὸν θεὸς ὠνομάσθη.
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But the idol made with hands is accursed, and so is he who made it;
because he did the work, and the perishable thing was named a god.
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| 9 | ἐν ἴσῳ γὰρ μισητὰ θεῷ καὶ ὁ ἀσεβῶν καὶ ἡ ἀσέβεια αὐτοῦ·
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For equally hateful to God are the ungodly man and his ungodliness,
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| 10 | καὶ γὰρ τὸ πραχθὲν σὺν τῷ δράσαντι κολασθήσεται.
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for what was done will be punished together with him who did it.
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| 11 | διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν εἰδώλοις ἐθνῶν ἐπισκοπὴ ἔσται,
ὅτι ἐν κτίσματι θεοῦ εἰς βδέλυγμα ἐγενήθησαν
καὶ εἰς σκάνδαλα ψυχαῖς ἀνθρώπων καὶ εἰς παγίδα ποσὶν ἀφρόνων.
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Therefore there will be a visitation also upon the heathen idols,
because, though part of what God created,
they became an abomination,
and became traps for the souls of men and a snare to the feet of the foolish.
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| 12 | Ἀρχὴ γὰρ πορνείας ἐπίνοια εἰδώλων,
εὕρεσις δὲ αὐτῶν φθορὰ ζωῆς.
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For the idea of making idols was the beginning of fornication,
and the invention of them was the corruption of life,
| Origins of idolatry. Wis.14.12-21 |
| 13 | οὔτε γὰρ ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς οὔτε εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἔσται·
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for neither have they existed from the beginning nor will they exist for ever.
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| 14 | κενοδοξίᾳ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον,
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σύντομον αὐτῶν τὸ τέλος ἐπενοήθη.
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For through the vanity of men they entered the world,
and therefore their speedy end has been planned.
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| 15 | ἀώρῳ γὰρ πένθει τρυχόμενος πατὴρ
τοῦ ταχέως ἀφαιρεθέντος τέκνου εἰκόνα ποιήσας
τόν ποτε νεκρὸν ἄνθρωπον νῦν ὡς θεὸν ἐτίμησεν,
καὶ παρέδωκεν τοῖς ὑποχειρίοις μυστήρια καὶ τελετάς·
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For a father, consumed with grief at an untimely bereavement,
made an image of his child, who had been suddenly taken from him;
and he now honoured as a god what was once a dead human being,
and handed on to his dependents secret rites and initiations.
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| 16 | εἶτα ἐν χρόνῳ κρατυνθὲν τὸ ἀσεβὲς ἔθος ὡς νόμος ἐφυλάχθη.
καὶ τυράννων ἐπιταγαῖς ἐθρησκεύετο τὰ γλυπτάκαὶ τυράννων ἐπιταγαῖς ἐθρησκεύετο τὰ γλυπτάκαὶ τυράννων ἐπιταγαῖς ἐθρησκεύετο τὰ γλυπτά·
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Then the ungodly custom, grown strong with time, was kept as a law,
and at the command of monarchs graven images were worshipped.
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| 17 | οὓς ἐν ὄψει μὴ δυνάμενοι τιμᾶν ἄνθρωποι διὰ τὸ μακρὰν οἰκεῖν,
τὴν πόρρωθεν ὄψιν ἀνατυπωσάμενοι,
ἐμφανῆ εἰκόνα τοῦ τιμωμένου βασιλέως ἐποίησαν,
ἵνα ὡς παρόντα τὸν ἀπόντα κολακεύωσιν διὰ τῆς σπουδῆς.
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When men could not honour monarchs in their presence, since they lived at a distance,
they imagined their appearance far away,
and made a visible image of the king whom they honoured,
so that by their zeal they might flatter the absent one as though present.
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| 18 | εἰς ἐπίτασιν δὲ θρησκείας καὶ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας
ἡ τοῦ τεχνίτου προετρέψατο φιλοτιμία·
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Then the ambition of the craftsman impelled even those who did not know the king to intensify their worship.
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| 19 | ὁ μὲν γὰρ τάχα κρατοῦντι βουλόμενος ἀρέσαι
ἐξεβιάσατο τῇ τέχνῃ τὴν ὁμοιότητα ἐπὶ τὸ κάλλιον·
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For he, perhaps wishing to please his ruler,
skilfully forced the likeness to take more beautiful form,
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| 20 | τὸ δὲ πλῆθος ἐφελκόμενον διὰ τὸ εὔχαρι τῆς ἐργασίας
τὸν πρὸ ὀλίγου τιμηθέντα ἄνθρωπον νῦν σέβασμα ἐλογίσαντο.
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and the multitude, attracted by the charm of his work,
now regarded as an object of worship the one whom shortly before they had honoured as a man.
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| 21 | καὶ τοῦτο ἐγένετο τῷ βίῳ εἰς ἔνεδρον,
ὅτι ἢ συμφορᾷ ἢ τυραννίδι δουλεύσαντες ἄνθρωποι
τὸ ἀκοινώνητον ὄνομα λίθοις καὶ ξύλοις περιέθεσαν.
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And this became a hidden trap for mankind,
because men, in bondage to misfortune or to royal authority,
bestowed on objects of stone or wood the name that ought not to be shared.
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| 22 | Εἶτ οὐκ ἤρκεσεν τὸ πλανᾶσθαι περὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ γνῶσιν,
ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ ζῶντες ἀγνοίας πολέμῳ
τὰ τοσαῦτα κακὰ εἰρήνην προσαγορεύουσιν.
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Afterward it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God,
but they live in great strife due to ignorance,
and they call such great evils peace.
| Results of idolatry. Wis.14.22-31 |
| 23 | ἢ γὰρ τεκνοφόνους τελετὰς ἢ κρύφια μυστήρια
ἢ ἐμμανεῖς ἐξάλλων θεσμῶν κώμους ἄγοντες
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For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret mysteries,
or hold frenzied revels with strange customs,
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| 24 | οὔτε βίους οὔτε γάμους καθαροὺς ἔτι φυλάσσουσιν,
ἕτερος δ' ἕτερον ἢ λοχῶν ἀναιρεῖ ἢ νοθεύων ὀδυνᾷ.
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they no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure,
but they either treacherously kill one another,
or grieve one another by adultery,
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| 25 | πάντα δ' ἐπιμὶξ ἔχει αἷμα καὶ φόνος, κλοπὴ καὶ δόλος,
φθορά, ἀπιστία, τάραχος, ἐπιορκία,
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and all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit,
corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury,
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| 26 | θόρυβος ἀγαθῶν, χάριτος ἀμνηστία,
ψυχῶν μιασμός, γενέσεως ἐναλλαγή,
γάμων ἀταξία, μοιχεία καὶ ἀσέλγεια.
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confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favours,
pollution of souls, sex perversion,
disorder in marriage, adultery, and debauchery.
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| 27 | ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἀνωνύμων εἰδώλων θρησκεία
παντὸς ἀρχὴ κακοῦ καὶ αἰτία καὶ πέρας ἐστίν·
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For the worship of idols not to be named
is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
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| 28 | ἢ γὰρ εὐφραινόμενοι μεμήνασιν ἢ προφητεύουσιν ψευδῆ,
ἢ ζῶσιν ἀδίκως ἢ ἐπιορκοῦσιν ταχέως·
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For their worshippers either rave in exultation,
or prophesy lies,
or live unrighteously, or readily commit perjury;
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| 29 | ἀψύχοις γὰρ πεποιθότες εἰδώλοις
κακῶς ὀμόσαντες ἀδικηθῆναι οὐ προσδέχονται.
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for because they trust in lifeless idols
they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm.
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| 30 | ἀμφότερα δὲ αὐτοὺς μετελεύσεται τὰ δίκαια,
ὅτι κακῶς ἐφρόνησαν περὶ θεοῦ προσέχοντες εἰδώλοις,
καὶ ἀδίκως ὤμοσαν ἐν δόλῳ καταφρονήσαντες ὁσιότητος·
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But just penalties will overtake them on two counts:
because they thought wickedly of God in devoting themselves to idols,
and because in deceit they swore unrighteously through contempt for holiness.
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| 31 | οὐ γὰρ ἡ τῶν ὀμνυμένων δύναμις,
ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων δίκη ἐπεξέρχεται ἀεὶ τὴν τῶν ἀδίκων παράβασιν.
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For it is not the power of the things by which men swear,
but the just penalty for those who sin,
that always pursues the transgression of the unrighteous. | |
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