Wisdom 13

NEW JERUSALEM	GREEK BIBLE
1 Yes, natural y stupid are all who are unaware of God, and who, from good things seen, have not beenable to discover Him-who-is, or, by studying the works, have not recognised the Artificer.	1 μάταιοι μὲν γὰρ πάντες ἄνθρωποι φύσει οἷς παρῆν θεοῦ ἀγνωσία καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἀγαθῶν οὐκ ἴσχυσαν εἰδέναι τὸν ὄντα οὔτε τοῖς ἔργοις προσέχοντες ἐπέγνωσαν τὸν τεχνίτην
2 Fire, however, or wind, or the swift air, the sphere of the stars, impetuous water, heaven's lamps, arewhat they have held to be the gods who govern the world.	2 ἀλλ’ ἢ πῦρ ἢ πνεῦμα ἢ ταχινὸν ἀέρα ἢ κύκλον ἄστρων ἢ βίαιον ὕδωρ ἢ φωστῆρας οὐρανοῦ πρυτάνεις κόσμου θεοὺς ἐνόμισαν
3 If, charmed by their beauty, they have taken these for gods, let them know how much the Master ofthese excels them, since he was the very source of beauty that created them.	3 ὧν εἰ μὲν τῇ καλλονῇ τερπόμενοι ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπελάμβανον γνώτωσαν πόσῳ τούτων ὁ δεσπότης ἐστὶ βελτίων ὁ γὰρ τοῦ κάλλους γενεσιάρχης ἔκτισεν αὐτά
4 And if they have been impressed by their power and energy, let them deduce from these how muchmightier is he that has formed them,	4 εἰ δὲ δύναμιν καὶ ἐνέργειαν ἐκπλαγέντες νοησάτωσαν ἀπ’ αὐτῶν πόσῳ ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτὰ δυνατώτερός ἐστιν
5 since through the grandeur and beauty of the creatures we may, by analogy, contemplate their Author.	5 ἐκ γὰρ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ὁ γενεσιουργὸς αὐτῶν θεωρεῖται
6 Small blame, however, attaches to them, for perhaps they go astray only in their search for God andtheir eagerness to find him;	6 ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἐπὶ τούτοις μέμψις ἐστὶν ὀλίγη καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τάχα πλανῶνται θεὸν ζητοῦντες καὶ θέλοντες εὑρεῖν
7 familiar with his works, they investigate them and fal victim to appearances, seeing so much beauty.	7 ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ ἀναστρεφόμενοι διερευνῶσιν καὶ πείθονται τῇ ὄψει ὅτι καλὰ τὰ βλεπόμενα
8 But even so, they have no excuse:	8 πάλιν δ’ οὐδ’ αὐτοὶ συγγνωστοί 9εἰ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσαν εἰδέναι ἵνα δύνωνται στοχάσασθαι τὸν αἰῶνα τὸν τούτων δεσπότην πῶς τάχιον οὐχ εὗρον
9 if they are capable of acquiring enough knowledge to be able to investigate the world, how have theybeen so slow to find its Master?	9 προσκαλεσαμενου σε δυναστου υποχωρων γινου και τοσω μαλλον σε προσκαλεσεται
10 But wretched are they, with their hopes set on dead things, who have given the title of gods to humanartefacts, gold or silver, skilfully worked, figures of animals, or useless stone, carved by some hand long ago.	10 ταλαίπωροι δὲ καὶ ἐν νεκροῖς αἱ ἐλπίδες αὐτῶν οἵτινες ἐκάλεσαν θεοὺς ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον τέχνης ἐμμελέτημα καὶ ἀπεικάσματα ζῴων ἢ λίθον ἄχρηστον χειρὸς ἔργον ἀρχαίας
11 Take a woodcutter. He fel s a suitable tree, neatly strips off the bark al over and then with admirableskil works the wood into an object useful in daily life.	11 εἰ δὲ καί τις ὑλοτόμος τέκτων εὐκίνητον φυτὸν ἐκπρίσας περιέξυσεν εὐμαθῶς πάντα τὸν φλοιὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τεχνησάμενος εὐπρεπῶς κατεσκεύασεν χρήσιμον σκεῦος εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν ζωῆς
12 The bits left over from his work he uses for cooking his food, then eats his fil .	12 τὰ δὲ ἀποβλήματα τῆς ἐργασίας εἰς ἑτοιμασίαν τροφῆς ἀναλώσας ἐνεπλήσθη
13 There is stil a good-for-nothing bit left over, a gnarled and knotted bil et: he takes it and whittles itwith the concentration of his leisure hours, he shapes it with the skill of experience, he gives it a human shape	13 τὸ δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπόβλημα εἰς οὐθὲν εὔχρηστον ξύλον σκολιὸν καὶ ὄζοις συμπεφυκός λαβὼν ἔγλυψεν ἐν ἐπιμελείᾳ ἀργίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ συνέσεως ἐτύπωσεν αὐτό ἀπείκασεν αὐτὸ εἰκόνι ἀνθρώπου
14 or perhaps he makes it into some vile animal, smears it with ochre, paints its surface red, coats overal its blemishes.	14 ἢ ζῴῳ τινὶ εὐτελεῖ ὡμοίωσεν αὐτὸ καταχρίσας μίλτῳ καὶ φύκει ἐρυθήνας χρόαν αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσαν κηλῖδα τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ καταχρίσας
15 He next makes a worthy home for it, lets it into the wal , fixes it with an iron clamp.	15 καὶ ποιήσας αὐτῷ αὐτοῦ ἄξιον οἴκημα ἐν τοίχῳ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸ ἀσφαλισάμενος σιδήρῳ
16 Thus he makes sure that it will not fal down -- being wel aware that it cannot help itself, since it isonly an image, and needs to be helped.	16 ἵνα μὲν οὖν μὴ καταπέσῃ προενόησεν αὐτοῦ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἀδυνατεῖ ἑαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι καὶ γάρ ἐστιν εἰκὼν καὶ χρείαν ἔχει βοηθείας
17 And yet, if he wishes to pray for his goods, for his marriage, for his children, he does not blush toharangue this lifeless thing -- for health, he invokes what is weak,	17 περὶ δὲ κτημάτων καὶ γάμων αὐτοῦ καὶ τέκνων προσευχόμενος οὐκ αἰσχύνεται τῷ ἀψύχῳ προσλαλῶν καὶ περὶ μὲν ὑγιείας τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἐπικαλεῖται
18 for life, he pleads with what is dead, for help, he goes begging to total inexperience, for a journey,what cannot even use its feet,	18 περὶ δὲ ζωῆς τὸ νεκρὸν ἀξιοῖ περὶ δὲ ἐπικουρίας τὸ ἀπειρότατον ἱκετεύει περὶ δὲ ὁδοιπορίας τὸ μηδὲ βάσει χρῆσθαι δυνάμενον
19 for profit, an undertaking, and success in pursuing his craft, he asks skil from something whosehands have no skil whatever.	19 περὶ δὲ πορισμοῦ καὶ ἐργασίας καὶ χειρῶν ἐπιτυχίας τὸ ἀδρανέστατον ταῖς χερσὶν εὐδράνειαν αἰτεῖται
	20 βδελυγμα υπερηφανω ταπεινοτης ουτως βδελυγμα πλουσιω πτωχος
	21 πλουσιος σαλευομενος στηριζεται υπο φιλων ταπεινος δε πεσων προσαπωθειται υπο φιλων
	22 πλουσιου σφαλεντος πολλοι αντιλημπτορες ελαλησεν απορρητα και εδικαιωσαν αυτον ταπεινος εσφαλεν και προσεπετιμησαν αυτω εφθεγξατο συνεσιν και ουκ εδοθη αυτω τοπος
	23 πλουσιος ελαλησεν και παντες εσιγησαν και τον λογον αυτου ανυψωσαν εως των νεφελων πτωχος ελαλησεν και ειπαν τις ουτος καν προσκοψη προσανατρεψουσιν αυτον
	24 αγαθος ο πλουτος ω μη εστιν αμαρτια και πονηρα η πτωχεια εν στοματι ασεβους
	25 καρδια ανθρωπου αλλοιοι το προσωπον αυτου εαν τε εις αγαθα εαν τε εις κακα
	26 ιχνος καρδιας εν αγαθοις προσωπον ιλαρον και ευρεσις παραβολων διαλογισμοι μετα κοπων