katapi New Study Bible - select-a-version

DB1 << >> katapi HOME katapi New Standard Bible - APOCRYPHA | about Wisdom of Solomon | KNSB: contents | by passage | with passage selection | search--->| in verses | select-|2|-versions | notes

Wisdom of Solomon

The true god gives immortality.  Wis.15.1-6

1But you, our God, are kind and true,
patient, and ruling all things in mercy.
2For even if we sin we are yours, knowing your power;
but we will not sin, because we know that we are accounted yours.
3For to know you is complete righteousness,
and to know your power is the root of immortality.
4For neither has the evil intent of human art misled us,
nor the fruitless toil of painters,
a figure stained with varied colours,
5whose appearance arouses yearning in fools,
so that they desire the lifeless form of a dead image.
6Lovers of evil things and fit for such objects of hope are those who either make or desire or worship them.

The potter.  Wis.15.7-13

7For when a potter kneads the soft earth
and labouriously molds each vessel for our service,
he fashions out of the same clay both the vessels that serve clean uses and those for contrary uses,
making all in like manner;
but which shall be the use of each of these the worker in clay decides.
8With misspent toil, he forms a futile god from the same clay -
this man who was made of earth a short time before and after a little while goes to the earth from which he was taken,
when he is required to return the soul that was lent him.
9But he is not concerned that he is destined to die or that his life is brief,
but he competes with workers in gold and silver, and imitates workers in copper;
and he counts it his glory that he molds counterfeit gods.
10His heart is ashes, his hope is cheaper than dirt,
and his life is of less worth than clay,
11because he failed to know the one who formed him
and inspired him with an active soul
and breathed into him a living spirit.
12But he considered our existence an idle game,
and life a festival held for profit,
for he says one must get money however one can, even by base means.
13For this man, more than all others, knows that he sins
when he makes from earthy matter fragile vessels and graven images.

Punishment of the Egyptians.  Wis.15.14-16.14

14But most foolish, and more miserable than an infant,
are all the enemies who oppressed your people.
15For they thought that all their heathen idols were gods,
though these have neither the use of their eyes to see with,
nor nostrils with which to draw breath,
nor ears with which to hear,
nor fingers to feel with,
and their feet are of no use for walking.
16For a man made them, and one whose spirit is borrowed formed them;
for no man can form a god which is like himself.
17He is mortal, and what he makes with lawless hands is dead,
for he is better than the objects he worships,
since he has life, but they never have.

18The enemies of your people worship even the most hateful animals,
which are worse than all others, when judged by their lack of intelligence;
19and even as animals they are not so beautiful in appearance that one would desire them,
but they have escaped both the praise of God and his blessing.


<< | Wis:15 | >>

Notes: This webpage enables you to select-a-version from the Bible versions held on the katapi bible database.
This page displays the katapi New Standard Bible as flowing text.
The katapi New Standard Bible is a very light revision of the RSV. The changes are: (1) In places where 'the LORD', 'O LORD' occurs in the RSV, (it represents the tetragrammaton - YHWH - which is in the hebrew text), I have used the name 'Yahweh'.
(2) I have removed the quotation marks and hyphens that were used in so many names in the RSV as an aid to correct pronunciation. This now brings it in line with all other English versions, and makes any word-search more accurate.
(3) I have changed all (I hope!) of the RSV archaic language sections to modern.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971], Apocrypha, copyright 1957; The Third and Fourth Books of the Maccabees and Psalm 151, copyright 1977, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The katapi New Study Bible reference section has been incorporated into the page as follows: Links to parallel passages show below passage headings. Links to Old Testament quotations in New Testament verses show after the verse number.
Quotations of OT passages by NT authors can in most cases be viewed within their context of the OT passage as a whole, with the quoted text displayed, against a subdued background.
Any mismatches, truncated verses, other mistakes ? Please e-mail me. © this page layout: Paul Ingram 2012.