Wisdom 13

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Surely vain are all men by nature, who are ignorant of God, and could not out of the good things that are seen know him that is: neither by considering the works did they acknowledge the workmaster;	1 For all men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan;
2 But deemed either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the violent water, or the lights of heaven, to be the gods which govern the world.	2 But either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water, or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods.
3 With whose beauty if they being delighted took them to be gods; let them know how much better the Lord of them is: for the first author of beauty hath created them.	3 Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them.
4 But if they were astonished at their power and virtue, let them understand by them, how much mightier he is that made them.	4 Or if they were struck by their might and energy, let them from these things realize how much more powerful is he who made them.
5 For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures proportionably the maker of them is seen.	5 For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen.
6 But yet for this they are the less to be blamed: for they peradventure err, seeking God, and desirous to find him.	6 But yet, for these the blame is less; For they indeed have gone astray perhaps, though they seek God and wish to find him.
7 For being conversant in his works they search him diligently, and believe their sight: because the things are beautiful that are seen.	7 For they search busily among his works, but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.
8 Howbeit neither are they to be pardoned.	8 But again, not even these are pardonable.
9 For if they were able to know so much, that they could aim at the world; how did they not sooner find out the Lord thereof?	9 For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its LORD?
10 But miserable are they, and in dead things is their hope, who call them gods, which are the works of men's hands, gold and silver, to shew art in, and resemblances of beasts, or a stone good for nothing, the work of an ancient hand.	10 But doomed are they, and in dead things are their hopes, who termed gods things made by human hands: Gold and silver, the product of art, and likenesses of beasts, or useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.
11 Now a carpenter that felleth timber, after he hath sawn down a tree meet for the purpose, and taken off all the bark skilfully round about, and hath wrought it handsomely, and made a vessel thereof fit for the service of man's life;	11 A carpenter may saw out a suitable tree and skillfully scrape off all its bark, And deftly plying his art, produce something fit for daily use,
12 And after spending the refuse of his work to dress his meat, hath filled himself;	12 and use up the refuse from his handiwork in preparing his food, and have his fill;
13 And taking the very refuse among those which served to no use, being a crooked piece of wood, and full of knots, hath carved it diligently, when he had nothing else to do, and formed it by the skill of his understanding, and fashioned it to the image of a man;	13 Then the good-for-nothing refuse from these remnants, crooked wood grown full of knots, he takes and carves to occupy his spare time. This wood he models with listless skill, and patterns it on the image of a man
14 Or made it like some vile beast, laying it over with vermilion, and with paint colouring it red, and covering every spot therein;	14 or makes it resemble some worthless beast. When he has daubed it with red and crimsoned its surface with red stain, and daubed over every blemish in it,
15 And when he had made a convenient room for it, set it in a wall, and made it fast with iron:	15 He makes a fitting shrine for it and puts it on the wall, fastening it with a nail.
16 For he provided for it that it might not fall, knowing that it was unable to help itself; for it is an image, and hath need of help:	16 Thus lest it fall down he provides for it, knowing that it cannot help itself; for, truly, it is an image and needs help.
17 Then maketh he prayer for his goods, for his wife and children, and is not ashamed to speak to that which hath no life.	17 But when he prays about his goods or marriage or children, he is not ashamed to address the thing without a soul. And for vigor he invokes the powerless;
18 For health he calleth upon that which is weak: for life prayeth to that which is dead; for aid humbly beseecheth that which hath least means to help: and for a good journey he asketh of that which cannot set a foot forward:	18 and for life he entreats the dead; And for aid he beseeches the wholly incompetent, and about travel, something that cannot even walk.
19 And for gaining and getting, and for good success of his hands, asketh ability to do of him, that is most unable to do any thing.	19 And for profit in business and success with his hands he asks facility of a thing with hands completely inert.