holy wisdom texts

canonical sources, the hebrew scriptures

job, proverbs, ecclesiastes

deuterocanonical writings, hebrew sources

wisdom of solomon, sirach/ecclesiasticus, baruch

canonical sources, the christian scriptures

gospel according to john, 1 corinthians

CAN YOU FIND OUT

THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD?

JOB 11:5-12

But O that God would speak,

and open his lips to you,

and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom!

For wisdom is many-sided.

Know then that God exacts of you

less than your guilt deserves.

“Can you find out the deep things of God?

Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?

It is higher than heaven—what can you do?

Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?

Its measure is longer than the earth,

and broader than the sea.

If he passes through, and imprisons,

and assembles for judgment, who can hinder

him?

For he knows those who are worthless;

when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?

But a stupid person will get understanding,

when a wild ass is born human.        

WHERE THEN DOES WISDOM COME FROM?

JOB 28:20-28

Where then does wisdom come from

And where is the place of understanding?

It is hidden from the eyes of all living,

and concealed from the birds of the air.

Abaddon and Death say,

“We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.”

God understands the way to it,

and he knows its place.

For he looks to the ends of the earth,

and sees everything under the heavens.

When he gave to the wind its weight,

and apportioned out the waters by measure;

when he made a decree for the rain,

and a way for the thunderbolt;

then he saw it and declared it;

he established it, and searched it out.

And he said to humankind,

“Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;

and to depart from evil is understanding.”

WISDOM CRIES OUT IN THE STREET

PROVERBS 1:20-23

Wisdom cries out in the street;

in the squares she raises her voice.

At the busiest corner she cries out;

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

“How long, O simple ones,

will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools hate knowledge?

Give heed to my reproof;

I will pour out my thoughts to you;

I will make my words known to you.

texts: proverbs   |  

BECAUSE YOU REFUSED

PROVERBS 1:24-33

Because I, Wisdom, have called and you refused,

have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,

and because you have ignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when panic strikes you,

when panic strikes you like a storm,

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will call upon me,

but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.

Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the HOLY ONE,

would have none of my counsel,

and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way

and be sated with their own devices.

For waywardness kills the simple,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but those who listen to me will be secure

and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.

THE FRUITS OF THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM

PROVERBS 2:1-11

My child, if you accept my words

and treasure up my commandments within you,

making your ear attentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

if you indeed cry out for insight,

and raise your voice for understanding;

if you seek it like silver,

and search for it as for hidden treasures—

then you will understand the fear of the HOLY ONE

and find the knowledge of God.

For the HOLY ONE gives wisdom;

from God’s mouth come knowledge

and understanding;

God stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

and is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,

guarding the paths of justice

and preserving the way of the faithful.

Then you will understand righteousness

and justice and equity, every good path;

for wisdom will come into your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

prudence will watch over you;

and understanding will guard you.

WISDOM WILL SAVE YOU

PROVERBS 2:12-22

Wisdom will save you from the way of evil,

from those who speak perversely,

who forsake the paths of uprightness

to walk in the ways of darkness,

who rejoice in doing evil

and delight in the perverseness of evil;

those whose paths are crooked,

and who are devious in their ways.

You will be saved from the loose woman,

from the adulteress with her smooth words,

who forsakes the partner of her youth

and forgets her sacred covenant;

for her way leads down to death,

and her paths to the shades;

those who go to her never come back,

nor do they regain the paths of life.

Therefore walk in the way of the good,

and keep to the paths of the just.

For the upright will abide in the land,

and the innocent will remain in it;

but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

IN PRAISE OF WISDOM

PROVERBS 3:13-20

Happy are those who find wisdom,

and those who get understanding,

for her income is better than silver,

and her revenue better than gold.

She is more precious than jewels,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;

those who hold her fast are called happy.

The HOLY ONE by wisdom founded the earth;

by understanding God established the heavens;

by knowledge the deeps broke open,

and the clouds drop down the dew.

texts: proverbs   |  

LISTEN TO A FATHER’S INSTRUCTION

PROVERBS 4:1-13

Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,

and be attentive, that you may gain insight;

for I give you good precepts:

do not forsake my teaching.

When I was a son with my father,

tender, and my mother’s favorite,

he taught me, and said to me,

“Let your heart hold fast my words;

keep my commandments, and live.

Get wisdom; get insight:

do not forget, nor turn away

from the words of my mouth.

Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

love her, and she will guard you.

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

and whatever else you get, get insight.

Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.

She will place on your head a fair garland;

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

Hear, my child, and accept my words,

that the years of your life may be many.

I have taught you the way of wisdom;

I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

When you walk, your step will not be hampered;

and if you run, you will not stumble.

Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;

guard her, for she is your life.

DOES NOT WISDOM CALL?

PROVERBS 8:1-11

Does not wisdom call,

and does not understanding raise her voice?

On the heights, beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries out:

“To you, O people, I call,

and my cry is to all that live.

O simple ones, learn prudence;

acquire intelligence, you who lack it.

Hear, for I will speak noble things,

and from my lips will come what is right;

for my mouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

They are all straight to one who understands

and right to those who find knowledge.

Take my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than choice gold;

for wisdom is better than jewels,

and all that you may desire

cannot compare with her.

texts: proverbs   |  

I LIVE WITH PRUDENCE

PROVERBS 8:12-21

I, wisdom, live with prudence,

and I attain knowledge and discretion.

The fear of the HOLY ONE is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

and perverted speech I hate.

I have good advice and sound wisdom;

I have insight, I have strength.

By me kings reign,

and rulers decree what is just;

by me rulers rule,

and nobles, all who govern rightly.

I love those who love me,

and those who seek me diligently find me.

Riches and honor are with me,

enduring wealth and prosperity.

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,

and my yield than choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness,

along the paths of justice,

endowing with wealth those who love me,

and filling their treasuries.

I WAS SET UP AGES AGO

PROVERBS 8:21-31

The HOLY ONE created me at the beginning,

the first of God’s acts of long ago.

Ages ago I was set up,

at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

When there were no depths I was brought forth,

when there were no springs

abounding with water.

Before the mountains had been shaped,

before the hills, I was brought forth—

when you had not yet made earth and fields,

or the world’s first bits of soil.

When you established the heavens, I was there,

when you drew a circle on the face of the deep,

when you made firm the skies above,

when you established the fountains of the deep,

when you assigned to the sea its limit,

so that the waters might not

transgress your command,

when you marked out the foundations of the earth,

then I was beside you, like a master worker;

and I was daily your delight,

rejoicing before you always,

rejoicing in your inhabited world

and delighting in the human race.

texts: proverbs   |  

LISTEN TO ME

PROVERBS 8:32-36

“And now, my children, listen to me:

happy are those who keep my ways.

Hear instruction and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

Happy is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

For whoever finds me finds life

and obtains favor from the HOLY ONE;

but those who miss me injure themselves;

all who hate me love death.”

WISDOM HAS BUILT HER HOUSE

PROVERBS 9:1-12

Wisdom has built her house,

she has hewn her seven pillars.

She has slaughtered her animals,

she has mixed her wine,

she has also set her table.

She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls

from the highest places in the town,

“You that are simple, turn in here!”

To those without sense she says,

“Come, eat of my bread

and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Lay aside immaturity, and live,

and walk in the way of insight.”

Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse;

whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt.

A scoffer who is rebuked will only hate you;

the wise, when rebuked, will love you.

Give instruction to the wise,

and they will become wiser still;

teach the righteous

and they will gain in learning.

Reverence for GOD is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

For by me your days will be multiplied,

and years will be added to your life.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;

if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

texts: proverbs   |  

FOLLY’S INVITATION AND PROMISE

PROVERBS 9:13-18

The foolish woman is loud;

she is ignorant and knows nothing.

She sits at the door of her house,

on a seat at the high places of the town,

calling to those who pass by,

who are going straight on their way,

“You who are simple, turn in here!”

And to those without sense she says,

“Stolen water is sweet,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

But they do not know that the dead are there,

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

THE WISE WOMAN BUILDS HER HOUSE

PROVERBS 14:1-2, 33-35

The wise woman builds her house,

but the foolish tears it down

with her own hands.

Those who walk uprightly revere God,

but one who is devious in conduct

despises the HOLY ONE.

Wisdom is at home in the mind

of one who has understanding,

but it is not known in the heart of fools.

Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any people.

A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

texts: proverbs   |  

BY WISDOM A HOUSE IS BUILT

PROVERBS 24:3-6

By Wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established;

by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches.

Wise warriors are mightier than strong ones,

and those who have knowledge

than those who have strength;

for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

WISDOM IS TOO HIGH FOR FOOLS

PROVERBS 24:7-14

Wisdom is too high for fools;

in the gate they do not open their mouths.

Whoever plans to do evil

will be called a mischief-maker.

The devising of folly is sin,

and the scoffer is an abomination to all.

If you faint in the day of adversity,

your strength being small;

if you hold back from rescuing

those taken away to death, 

those who go staggering to the slaughter;

if you say, “Look, we did not know this” —

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch

over your soul know it?

And will he not repay all

according to their deeds?

My child, eat honey, for it is good,

and the drippings of the honeycomb

are sweet to your taste.

Know that wisdom is such to your soul;

if you find it, you will find a future,

and your hope will not be cut off.

texts: proverbs   |  

WISDOM IS AS GOOD AS AN INHERITANCE

ECCLESIASTES 7:11-14

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance,

an advantage to those who see the sun.

For the protection of wisdom

is like the protection of money,

and the advantage of knowledge is that

wisdom gives life to the one who possesses it.

Consider the work of God;

who can make straight

what he has made crooked?

In the day of prosperity be joyful,

and in the day of adversity consider;

God has made the one as well as the other,

so that mortals may not find out anything

that will come after them.

RIGHTEOUSNESS & WISDOM ARE ELUSIVE

ECCLESIASTES 7:15-24

In my vain life I have seen everything;

there are righteous people

who perish in their righteousness,

and there are wicked people

who prolong their life in their evildoing.

Do not be too righteous, and do not act too wise;

why should you destroy yourself?

Do not be too wicked, and do not be a fool;

why should you die before your time?

It is good that you should take hold of the one,

without letting go of the other;

for the one who fears God

shall succeed with both.

Wisdom gives strength to the wise

more than ten rulers that are in a city.

Surely there is no one on earth so righteous

as to do good without ever sinning.

Do not give heed to everything that people say,

or you may hear your servant cursing you;

your heart knows that many times

you have yourself cursed others.

All this I have tested by wisdom;

I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me.

That which is, is far off, and deep, very deep;

who can find it out?

texts: ecclesiastes   |  

FOOLISHNESS IS MADNESS

ECCLESIASTES 7:25-29

I turned my mind to know and to search out

and to seek Wisdom and the sum of things,

and to know that wickedness is folly

and that foolishness is madness.

I found more bitter than death

the woman who is a trap,

whose heart is snares and nets,

whose hands are fetters;

one who pleases God escapes her,

but the sinner is taken by her.

See, this is what I found, says the Teacher,

adding one thing to another to find the sum,

which my mind has sought repeatedly,

but I have not found.

One man among a thousand I found,

but a woman among all these I have not found.

See, this alone I found,

that God made human beings straightforward,

but they have devised many schemes.

THE WORLD IS FULL OF RISKS

ECCLESIASTES 9:11-18

Again I saw that under the sun

the race is not to the swift,

nor the battle to the strong,

nor bread to the wise,

nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful;

but time and chance happen to them all.

For no one can anticipate the time of disaster.

Like fish taken in a cruel net,

and like birds caught in a snare,

so mortals are snared at a time of calamity,

when it suddenly falls upon them.

I have also seen this example

of Wisdom under the sun,

and it seemed great to me.

There was a little city with few people in it.

A great king came against it and besieged it,

building great siegeworks against it.

Now there was found in it a poor wise man,

and he by his wisdom delivered the city.

Yet no one remembered that poor man.

So I said, “Wisdom is better than might;

yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised,

and his words are not heeded.”

The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded

than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war,

but one bungler destroys much good.

texts: ecclesiastes   |  

SEEK WISDOM

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 6:12-20

Wisdom is radiant and unfading,

and she is easily discerned by those who love her,

and is found by those who seek her.

She hastens to make herself known

to those who desire her.

One who rises early to seek her

will have no difficulty,

for she will be found sitting at the gate.

To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,

and one who is vigilant on her account

will soon be free from care,

because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,

and she graciously appears to them in their paths,

and meets them in every thought.

The beginning of wisdom

is the most sincere desire for instruction,

and concern for instruction is love of her,

and love of her is the keeping of her laws,

and giving heed to her laws

is assurance of immortality,

and immortality brings one near to God;

so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.

THE QUEST FOR WISDOM

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 7:1-7

I also am mortal, like everyone else,

a descendant of the first-formed child of earth;

and in the womb of a mother

I was molded into flesh,

within the period of ten months,

compacted with blood,

from the seed of a man

and the pleasure of marriage.

And when I was born,

I began to breathe the common air,

and fell upon the kindred earth;

my first sound was a cry, as is true of all.

I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths.

For no king has had a

different beginning of existence;

there is for all one entrance into life,

and one way out.

Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;

I called on God,

and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.

texts: wisdom of solomon  

THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM CAME TO ME

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 7:7b-12

I called on God,

and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

I preferred her to scepters and thrones,

and I accounted wealth

as nothing in comparison with her.

Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,

because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,

and silver will be accounted as clay before her.

I loved her more than health and beauty,

and I chose to have her rather than light,

because her radiance never ceases.

All good things came to me along with her,

and in her hands uncounted wealth.

I rejoiced in them all,

because wisdom leads them;

but I did not know that she was their mother.

I LEARNED WITHOUT GUILE

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 7:13-22

I learned without guile, I impart without grudging;

I do not hide Wisdom’s wealth,

for it is an unfailing treasure for mortals;

those who get it obtain friendship with God,

commended for the gifts

that come from instruction.

May God grant me to speak with judgment,

and to have thoughts worthy

of what I have received;

for God is the guide even of Wisdom

and the corrector of the wise.

For both we and our words are in God’s hand,

as are all understanding and skill in crafts.

For it is God who gave me

unerring knowledge of what exists,

to know the structure of the world

and the activity of the elements;

the beginning and end and middle of times,

the alternations of the solstices

and the changes of the seasons,

the cycles of the year and the stars’ constellations,

the natures of animals

and the tempers of wild animals,

the powers of spirits and the thoughts of people,

the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots;

I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,

for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.

texts: wisdom of solomon   |  

THE DIVINE ESSENCE

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 7:21-30

I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,

for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.

There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique,

manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, dis-

tinct, invulnerable, loving the good keen, irresistible,

beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure,

free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all,

and penetrating through all spirits

that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle.

For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;

because of her pureness

she pervades and penetrates all things.

For she is a breath of the power of God,

and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;

therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.

For she is a reflection of eternal light,

a spotless mirror of the working of God,

and an image of his goodness.

Although she is but one, she can do all things,

while remaining in herself, she renews all things;

in every generation she passes into holy souls

and makes them friends of God, and prophets;

for God loves nothing so much

as the person who lives with wisdom.

She is more beautiful than the sun,

and excels every constellation of the stars.

Compared with the light she is found to be superior,

for it is succeeded by the night,

but against wisdom evil does not prevail.

THE MANY BENEFITS OF WISDOM

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 8:1-7

She reaches mightily from one end of the earth

to the other, and she orders all things well.

I loved her and sought her from my youth;

I desired to take her for my bride,

and became enamored of her beauty.

She glorifies her noble birth by living with God,

and the Lord of all loves her.

For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God,

and an associate in his works.

If riches are a desirable possession in life,

what is richer than wisdom,

the active cause of all things?

And if understanding is effective,

who more than she is fashioner of what exists?

And if anyone loves righteousness,

her labors are virtues;

for she teaches self-control and prudence,

justice and courage; 

nothing in life

is more profitable for mortals than these.

IF ANYONE LONGS FOR WIDE EXPERIENCE

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 8:8-12

If anyone longs for wide experience,

Wisdom knows the things of old,

and infers the things to come;

she understands turns of speech

and the solutions of riddles;

she has foreknowledge of signs and wonders

and of the outcome of seasons and times.

Therefore I determined to take her to live with me,

knowing that she would give me good counsel

and encouragement in cares and grief.

Because of her I shall have

glory among the multitudes

and honor in the presence of the elders,

though I am young.

I shall be found keen in judgment,

and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired.

When I am silent they will wait for me,

and when I speak they will give heed;

if I speak at greater length,

they will put their hands on their mouths.

BECAUSE OF HER I HAVE IMMORTALITY

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 8:13, 16-18

Because of her I shall have immortality,

and leave an everlasting remembrance

to those who come after me.

When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her;

for companionship with her has no bitterness,

and life with her has no pain,

but gladness and joy.

When I considered these things inwardly,

and pondered in my heart

that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,

and in friendship with her, pure delight,

and in the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth,

and in the experience of her company,

understanding, and renown in sharing her words,

I went about seeking how to get her for myself.

SOLOMON’S PRAYER FOR WISDOM

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 8:21-9:9

But I perceived that I would not possess wisdom

unless God gave her to me;

and it was a mark of insight

to know whose gift she was

so I appealed to the Holy One and implored,

and with my whole heart I said:

“O God of my ancestors and master of mercy,

who have made all things by your word,

and by your wisdom have formed humankind

to have dominion over the creatures you have made,

and rule the world in holiness and righteousness,

and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,

give me the wisdom that sits by your throne,

and do not reject me from among your servants.

For I am your servant the child of your serving girl,

one who is weak and short-lived,

with little understanding of judgment and laws;

for even one who is perfect among human beings

will be regarded as nothing

without the wisdom that comes from you.

You have chosen me to govern your people

and to be judge over your sons and daughters.

You have given command

to build a temple on your holy mountain,

and an altar in the city of your habitation,

a copy of the holy tent

that you prepared from the beginning.

WITH YOU IS WISDOM

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 9:9-18

With you is wisdom, she who knows your works

and was present when you made the world;

she understands what is pleasing in your sight

and what you have commanded is right.

Send her forth from the holy heavens,

and from the throne of your glory send her,

that she may labor at my side,

and that I may learn what is pleasing to you.

For she knows and understands all things,

and she will guide me wisely in my actions

and guard me with her glory.

Then my works will be acceptable,

and I shall judge your people justly,

and shall be worthy of the throne of my father.

For who can learn the counsel of God?

Or who can discern what the Holy One wills?

For the reasoning of mortals is worthless,

and our designs are likely to fail;

for a perishable body weighs down the soul,

and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.

We can hardly guess at what is on earth,

and what is at hand we find with labor;

but who has traced out what is in the heavens?

Who has learned your counsel,

unless you have given wisdom

and sent your holy spirit from on high?

Thus the paths of those on earth were set right,

and people were taught what pleases you,

and were saved by wisdom.

WISDOM’S SAVING POWER

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 10:1-7

Wisdom protected the first-formed

father of the world,

when he alone had been created;

she delivered him from his transgression,

and gave him strength to rule all things.

But when an unrighteous man

departed from her in his anger,

he perished because in rage he killed his brother.

When the earth was flooded because of him,

wisdom again saved it,

steering the righteous man

by a paltry piece of wood.

Wisdom also, when the nations

in wicked agreement had been put to confusion,

recognized the righteous man

and preserved him blameless before God,

and kept him strong

in the face of his compassion for his child.

Wisdom rescued a righteous man

when the ungodly were perishing;

he escaped the fire

that descended on the Five Cities.

Evidence of their wickedness still remains:

a continually smoking wasteland,

plants bearing fruit that does not ripen,

and a pillar of salt standing

as a monument to an unbelieving soul.

BECAUSE THEY PASSED WISDOM BY

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 10:8-12

Because they passed wisdom by,

they not only were hindered

from recognizing the good,

but also left for humankind a reminder of their folly,

so that their failures could never go unnoticed.

Wisdom rescued from troubles those who served her.

When a righteous man

fled from his brother’s wrath,

she guided him on straight paths;

she showed him the Community of God,

and gave him knowledge of holy things;

she prospered him in his labors,

and increased the fruit of his toil.

When his oppressors were covetous,

she stood by him and made him rich.

She protected him from his enemies,

and kept him safe from those

who lay in wait for him;

in his arduous contest she gave him the victory,

so that he might learn that godliness

is more powerful than anything else.

WISDOM DOES NOT DESERT US

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 10:13-21

When a righteous man was sold,

wisdom did not desert him,

but delivered him from sin.

She descended with him into the dungeon,

and when he was in prison she did not leave him,

until she brought him the scepter of a kingdom

and authority over his masters.

Those who accused him she showed to be false,

and she gave him everlasting honor.

A holy people and blameless race

wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors.

She entered the soul of a servant of the Holy One,

and withstood dread kings

with wonders and signs.

She gave to holy people the reward of their labors;

she guided them along a marvelous way,

and became a shelter to them by day,

and a starry flame through the night.

She brought them over the Red Sea,

and led them through deep waters;

but she drowned their enemies,

and cast them up from the depth of the sea.

Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly;

they sang hymns, O God, to your holy name,

and praised with one accord your defending hand.

Wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute,

and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.

WISDOM PROSPERED THEIR WORKS

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 11:1-5

Wisdom prospered their works

by the hand of a holy prophet.

They journeyed through

an uninhabited wilderness,

and pitched their tents in untrodden places.

They withstood their enemies

and fought off their foes.

When they were thirsty, they called upon you,

and water was given them out of flinty rock,

and from hard stone a remedy for their thirst.

For through the very things

by which their enemies were punished,

they themselves received benefit in their need.

WISDOM, GOD’S UNFATHOMABLE GIFT

SIRACH 1:1-10

All wisdom is from the Holy One,

and with God it remains forever.

The sand of the sea, the drops of rain,

and the days of eternity—who can count them?

The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth,

the abyss, and wisdom—who can search them out?

Wisdom was created before all other things,

and prudent understanding from eternity.

The source of wisdom is God’s word

in the highest heaven,

and her ways are the eternal commandments.

The root of wisdom—to whom has it been revealed?

Her subtleties—who knows them?

The knowledge of wisdom

—to whom was it manifested?

And her abundant experience

—who has understood it?

There is but one who is wise, greatly to be feared,

seated upon his throne—the Holy One.

It is God who created her;

God saw her and took her measure;

and poured her out upon all God’s works,

upon all the living according to God’s gift;

The Holy One lavished her upon those who love God.

Love of the Holy One is glorious wisdom;

to those whom God appears she is apportioned,

that they may see God.

WISDOM AS AWE OF THE HOLY ONE

SIRACH 1:11-20

The fear of the Holy One is glory and exultation,

and gladness and a crown of rejoicing.

The awe of the Holy One delights the heart,

and gives gladness and joy and long life.

The awe of the Holy One is a gift;

also for love God makes firm paths.

Those who revere the Holy One

will have a happy end;

on the day of their death they will be blessed.

To revere the Holy One is the beginning of wisdom;

she is created with the faithful in the womb.

She made among human beings an eternal foundation;

among their descendants she will abide faithfully.

To revere the Holy One is fullness of wisdom;

she inebriates mortals with her fruits;

she fills their whole house with desirable goods,

and their storehouses with her produce.

The awe of the Holy One is the crown of wisdom,

making peace and perfect health to flourish.

Both are gifts of God for peace;

glory opens out for those who love.

God saw her and took her measure.

She rained down knowledge

and discerning comprehension,

and she heightened the glory

of those who held her fast.

To revere the Lord is the root of wisdom,

and her branches are long life.

WISDOM’S REWARDS AND TRIAL

SIRACH 4:11-19

Wisdom teaches her children

and gives help to those who seek her.

Whoever loves her loves life,

and those who seek her

from early morning are filled with joy.

Whoever holds her fast inherits glory,

and the Lord blesses the place she enters.

Those who serve her minister to the Holy One;

God loves those who love her.

Those who obey her will judge the nations,

and all who listen to her will live secure.

If they remain faithful, they will inherit her;

their descendants will also obtain her.

For at first she will walk with them

on tortuous paths;

she will bring fear and dread upon them,

and will torment them by her discipline

until she trusts them,

and she will test them with her ordinances.

Then she will come straight back to them again

and gladden them,

and will reveal her secrets to them.

If they go astray she will forsake them,

and hand them over to their ruin.

ON RETICENCE, TRUE AND FALSE

SIRACH 4:20-28

Watch for the opportune time, and beware of evil,

and do not be ashamed to be yourself.

For there is a shame that leads to sin,

and there is a shame that is glory and favor.

Do not show partiality, to your own harm,

or deference, to your downfall.

Do not refrain from speaking at the proper moment,

and do not hide your wisdom.

For wisdom becomes known through speech,

and education through the words of the tongue.

Never speak against the truth,

but be ashamed of your ignorance.

Do not be ashamed to confess your sins,

and do not try to stop the current of a river.

Do not subject yourself to a fool,

or show partiality to a ruler.

Fight to the death for truth,

and God will fight for you.

texts: sirach  

WISDOM’S DISCIPLINE

SIRACH 6:18-22

My child, from your youth choose discipline,

and when you have gray hair

you will still find wisdom.

Come to her like one who plows and sows,

and wait for her good harvest.

For when you cultivate her you will toil but little,

and soon you will eat of her produce.

She seems very harsh to the undisciplined;

fools cannot remain with her.

She will be like a heavy stone to test them,

and they will not delay in casting her aside.

For wisdom is like her name;

she is not readily perceived by many.

PUT HER ON LIKE A CROWN

SIRACH 6:23-31

Listen, my child, and accept my judgment;

do not reject my counsel.

Put your feet into her fetters,

and your neck into her collar.

Bend your shoulders and carry her,

and do not fret under her bonds.

Come to her with all your soul,

and keep her ways with all your might.

Search out and seek,

and she will become known to you;

and when you get hold of her, do not let her go.

For at last you will find the rest she gives,

and she will be changed into joy for you.

Then her fetters will become for you a strong defense,

and her collar a glorious robe.

Her yoke is a golden ornament,

and her bonds a purple cord.

You will wear her like a glorious robe,

and put her on like a splendid crown.

PRAISE OF WISDOM

SIRACH 24:1-12

Wisdom praises herself,

and tells of her glory in the midst of her people.

In the assembly of the Most High

she opens her mouth,

and in the presence of hosts she tells of her glory:

“I came forth from the mouth of the Most High,

and covered the earth like a mist.

I dwelt in the highest heavens,

and my throne was in a pillar of cloud.

Alone I compassed the vault of heaven

and traversed the depths of the abyss.

Over waves of the sea, over all the earth,

and over every people and nation I have held sway.

Among all these I sought a resting place;

in whose territory should I abide?

Then the Creator of all things

gave me a command,

and my Creator chose the place for my tent.

God said, ‘Make your dwelling in Jacob,

and in Israel receive your inheritance.’

Before the ages, in the beginning, God created me,

and for all the ages I shall not cease to be.

In the holy tent I ministered before the Holy One,

and so I was established in Zion.

Thus in the beloved city God gave me a resting place,

and in Jerusalem was my domain.

I TOOK ROOT IN AN HONORED PEOPLE

SIRACH 24:12-17

I took root in an honored people,

in the portion of God’s heritage.

I grew tall like a cedar in Lebanon,

and like a cypress on the heights of Hermon.

I grew tall like a palm tree in En-gedi,

and like rosebushes in Jericho;

like a fair olive tree in the field,

and like a plane tree beside water I grew tall.

Like cassia and camel’s thorn I gave forth perfume,

and like choice myrrh I spread my fragrance,

like the odor of incense in the tent.

Like a terebinth I spread out my branches,

and my branches are glorious and graceful.

Like the vine I bud forth delights,

and my blossoms

become glorious and abundant fruit.

I am the mother of beautiful love,

of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope;

being eternal, I am given to all my children,

to those who are named by God.

COME TO ME

SIRACH 24:19-22

Come to me, you who desire me,

and eat your fill of my fruits.

For the memory of me is sweeter than honey,

and the possession of me sweeter

than the honeycomb.

Those who eat of me will hunger for more,

and those who drink of me will thirst for more.

Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame,

and those who work with me will not sin.

THE COVENANT OVERFLOWS

SIRACH 24:23, 25-34

This is the book of the covenant of the Most High God,

the law that Moses

commanded us as an inheritance.

It overflows, like the Pishon, with wisdom,

and like the Tigris at the time of the first fruits.

It runs over, like the Euphrates, with understanding,

and like the Jordan at harvest time.

It pours forth instruction like the Nile,

like the Gihon at the time of vintage.

The first man did not know wisdom fully,

nor will the last one fathom her.

For her thoughts are more abundant than the sea,

and her counsel deeper than the great abyss.

As for me, I was like a canal from a river,

like a water channel into a garden.

I said, “I will water my garden

and drench my flower-beds.”

And lo, my canal became a river,

and my river a sea.

I will again make instruction

shine forth like the dawn,

and I will make it clear from far away.

I will again pour out teaching like prophecy,

and leave it to all future generations.

Observe that I have not labored for myself alone,

but for all who seek wisdom.

HEAR THE COMMANDMENTS OF LIFE

BARUCH 3:9, 29-37

Hear the commandments of life, O Israel;

give ear, and learn wisdom!

Who has gone up into heaven, and taken her,

and brought her down from the clouds?

Who has gone over the sea, and found her,

and will buy her for pure gold?

No one knows the way to her,

or is concerned about the path to her.

But the one who knows all things knows her,

he found her by his understanding.

The one who prepared the earth for all time

filled it with four-footed creatures;

the one who sends forth the light, and it goes;

God called it, and it obeyed, trembling;

the stars shone in their watches, and were glad;

God called them, and they said, “Here we are!”

They shone with gladness

for the one who made them.

This is our God; no other can be compared.

The Holy One found the whole way to knowledge,

and gave her to Jacob, to Israel, whom God loved.

Afterward she appeared on earth

and lived with humankind.

WISDOM IS THE BOOK

BARUCH 4:1-4

She is the book of the commandments of God,

the law that endures forever.

All who hold her fast will live,

and those who forsake her will die.

Turn, O Jacob, and take her;

walk toward the shining of her light.

Do not give your glory to another,

or your advantages to an alien people.

Happy are we, O Israel,

for we know what is pleasing to God.

KNOWLEDGE OF THINGS DIVINE

4 MACCABEES 1:15-18

Reason, I suggest, is the mind

making a deliberate choice of the life of wisdom.

Wisdom, I submit, is knowledge

of things divine and human, and of their causes.

And this wisdom, I assume,

is the culture we acquire from the Law,

through which we learn

the things of God reverently

and the things of humanity

to our worldly advantage.

The forms of wisdom consist

of prudence, justice, courage, and temperance.

IN THE BEGINNING WAS WISDOM

JOHN 1:1-5, 9-14

In the beginning was Wisdom,

and Wisdom was with God, and Wisdom was

God. She was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through her,

and without her not one thing came into being.

What has come into being in her was life,

and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness did not overcome it.

The true light, which enlightens everyone,

was coming into the world.

She was in the world,

and the world came into being through her;

yet the world did not know her.

She came to what was her own,

and her own people did not accept her.

But to all who received her,

who believed in her name,

she gave power to become children of God,

who were born, not of blood

or of the will of the flesh

or of the will of humankind, but of God.

And Wisdom became flesh and lived among us,

and we have seen her glory,

the glory as of a father’s only child,

full of grace and truth.

WHERE IS THE ONE WHO IS WISE?

1 CORINTHIANS 1:20-24

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe?

Has not God made foolish

the wisdom of the world?

For since, in the Wisdom of God,

the world did not know God through Wisdom,

God decided, through the foolishness

of our proclamation, to save those who believe.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,

but we proclaim Christ crucified,

a stumbling block to Jews

and foolishness to Gentiles,

but to those who are the called,

both Jews and Greeks,

Christ the power of God

and the Wisdom of God.

GOD’S FOOLISHNESS

1 CORINTHIANS 1:25-31

God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom,

and God’s weakness is stronger

than human strength.

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters:

not many of you were wise by human standards,

not many were powerful,

not many were of noble birth.

But God chose what is foolish in the world

to shame the wise;

God chose what is weak in the world

to shame the strong;

God chose what is low and despised in the world,

things that are not,

to reduce to nothing things that are,

so that no one might boast in the presence of

God. God is the source of your life in Christ Jesus,

who became for us wisdom from God,

and righteousness and sanctification

and redemption,

in order that, as it is written,

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Holy One.”

SPIRITUAL WISDOM IS NOT FOR INFANTS

1 CORINTIANS 2:6-13

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom,

though it is not a wisdom of this age

or of the rulers of this age,

who are doomed to perish.

But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden,

which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

None of the rulers of this age understood this;

for if they had, they would not have crucified

the Master of glory.

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen,

nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived,

what has been prepared for those who love God”

these things were revealed to us through the Spirit;

for the Spirit searches everything,

even the depths of God.

For what human being knows what is truly human

except the human spirit that is within?

So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s

except the Spirit of God.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world,

but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may

understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 

And we speak of these things in words

not taught by human wisdom

but taught by the Spirit,

interpreting spiritual things

to those who are spiritual.



please link to the main OHW page to understand the purpose of their wisdom texts.