The Wisdom of Solomon

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- Kapitel 9 -

Solomon’s prayer for wisdom.

“God of my fathers and Lord of mercy, who has made all things with your word,

and by your wisdom has established man to have dominion over the creatures which have been made by you,(a)

so that he would order the world in equity and justice, and execute judgment with an upright heart,

give me wisdom, the handmaiden at your throne, and be unwilling to reject me from among your children,(b)

because I am your servant, and the son of your handmaid, a weak man, and short-lived, with limited understanding of judgment and laws.

And if someone were perfect among the sons of men, yet if your wisdom was taken away from him, he would be counted as nothing.

You have chosen me to be a king of your people, and a judge of your sons and daughters.(c)

And you called me to construct a temple on your holy mount, and, in the city of your dwelling, an altar in the likeness of your holy tabernacle, which you have prepared from the beginning.

And with you is wisdom, who is familiar with your works, and who was nearby when you made the world, and who knows what is pleasing to your eyes, and who is guided by your teachings.

Send her out of your holy heavens and from the throne of your majesty, so that she is with me and labors with me, and I will know what is acceptable with you.

For she knows and understands all things, and will lead me soberly in my works, and will guard me by her power.

And my works will be acceptable, and I will govern your people justly, and I will be worthy of the throne of my father.

For who among men can know the counsel of God? Or who can imagine the will of God?

For the thoughts of mortals are timid, and our foresight is uncertain.

For the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and this earthy dwelling presses many thoughts upon the mind.

And we assess with difficulty the things that are of earth, and we discover with labor the things that are within our view. So who will search out the things that are in heaven?

Moreover, who will know your mind, unless you give wisdom and send your holy spirit from on high?

And in this way, those who are on earth are corrected in their path, and men learn the things that are pleasing to you.

For by wisdom they are saved, who have pleased you, O Lord, from the beginning.”

Fußnoten

(a)9:2 Here hominem is used to refer to mankind, but it should still be translated as “man” because it is, in fact, the word for man, hominem.(Conte)

(b)9:4 Assistricem is an interesting and rare word in Latin. It means female attendant. The word assisto in Latin refers to someone who stands nearby, with more of a meaning of attending or waiting on someone greater (in this case, God), rather than a meaning of assistant, in the modern sense. Handmaiden works well as a translation because it is feminine, indicates serving or waiting upon someone who is in much higher position, and as handmaiden, rather than handmaid, it implies virginity. The assistricem is wisdom, but the Virgin Mary is in some ways also referred to here, since she is the seat of wisdom.(Conte)

(c)9:7 Note that, in this case, the text does say sons and daughters, filiorum et filiarum. In cases where filiorum occurs by itself, a translation of ‘sons and daughters’ is not justified by the text. If it says “sons” in Latin then it should also say “sons” in English.(Conte)

Solomon’s prayer for wisdom.

“O God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy, who made all things by your word;

and by your wisdom you formed man, that he should have dominion over the creatures that were made by you,

and rule the world in holiness and righteousness, and execute judgment in uprightness of soul,

give me wisdom, her who sits by you on your thrones. Don’t reject me from among your(a) servants,

because I am your servant and the son of your handmaid, a weak and short-lived man, with little power to understand judgment and laws.

For even if a man is perfect among the sons of men, if the wisdom that comes from you is not with him, he will count for nothing.

You chose me to be king of your people, and a judge for your sons and daughters.

You gave a command to build a sanctuary on your holy mountain, and(b) an altar in the city where you live, a copy of the holy tent which you prepared from the beginning.

Wisdom is with you and knows your works, and was present when you were making the world, and understands what is pleasing in your eyes, and what is right according to your commandments.

Send her from the holy heavens, and ask her to come from the throne of your glory, that being present with me she may work, and I may learn what pleases you well.

For she knows all things and understands, and she will guide me prudently in my actions. She will guard me in her glory.

So my works will be acceptible. I will judge your people righteously, and I will be worthy of my father’s(c) throne.

For what man will know the counsel of God? Or who will conceive what the Lord wills?

For the thoughts of mortals are unstable, and our plans are prone to fail.

For a corruptible body weighs down the soul. The earthy tent burdens a mind that is full of cares.

We can hardly guess the things that are on earth, and we find the things that are close at hand with labor; but who has traced out the things that are in the heavens?

Who gained knowledge of your counsel, unless you gave wisdom, and sent your holy spirit from on high?

It was thus that the ways of those who are on earth were corrected, and men were taught the things that are pleasing to you. They were saved through wisdom.”

Fußnoten

(a)9:4 Or, children

(b)9:8 Or, a place of sacrifice