The Book of Wisdom or The Wisdom of Solomon 14

1Again, one preparing to sail, and about to journey over raging waves, 2For that vessel the hunger for gains devised, even wisdom, built it; 3And your providence, O Father, guideth it along, 4Shewing that you can save out of every danger, so even without are a man may put to sea; 5And it is your will that the works of your wisdom should be not idle; on a raft are brought safe Gr. by. to land. 6For in the old time also, when proud giants were perishing, The Greek text here is perhaps corrupt. the race of men a seed of generations Or, future time Gr. age. to come, 7For blessed has been wood through which comes righteousness: Or, is 8But the idol made with hands is accursed, itself and he that made it; 9For both the ungodly doer and his ungodliness are alike hateful to God; 10For verily the deed will be punished together with him that committed it. 11Therefore also among the idols of the nations will there be a visitation, Or, upon Gr. in. 12For the devising of idols was the beginning of fornication, 13For neither were they from the beginning, neither will they be forever; 14For by the vaingloriousness of men they entered into the world, 15For a father worn with untimely grief, 16Afterward the ungodly custom, in process of time grown strong, was kept as a law, 17And when men could not honor them in presence because they lived far off, 18But to a yet higher pitch was worship raised even by those who knew him not, 19For he, wishing perhaps to please one in authority, 20And the multitude, allured by reason of the grace of his handywork, 21And this became a hidden danger to life, Gr. an ambush. 22Afterward it was not enough for them to go astray as touching the knowledge of God; in Or, for sore conflict through ignorance Gr. a great war of ignorance. of him. 23For either slaughtering children in solemn rites, or celebrating secret mysteries, 24No longer do they guard either life or purity of marriage, Or, keep unstained either life or marriage 25And all things confusedly are filled with blood and murder, theft and deceit, 26turmoil, Or, troubling of the good, forgetfulness of favours received, sex, Or, kind 27For the worship of those Or, idols that may not be named See Exodus 23:13; Psalm 16:4; Hosea 2:17. nameless idols See Wisdom of Solomon 14:21 28For their worshippers either make merry to madness, or prophesy lies, 29For putting their trust in lifeless idols, 30But for both sins will the just doom pursue them, 31For it is not the power of them by whom men swear, that Justice which has regard to those who sin, Gr. the Justice of those who sin.