Wisdom 13

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES 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 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;
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 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.
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 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.
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 But if they were astonished at their power and virtue, let them understand by them, how much mightier he is that made them.
5 since through the grandeur and beauty of the creatures we may, by analogy, contemplate their Author.	5 For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures proportionably the maker of them is seen.
6 Small blame, however, attaches to them, for perhaps they go astray only in their search for God andtheir eagerness to find him;	6 But yet for this they are the less to be blamed: for they peradventure err, seeking God, and desirous to find him.
7 familiar with his works, they investigate them and fal victim to appearances, seeing so much beauty.	7 For being conversant in his works they search him diligently, and believe their sight: because the things are beautiful that are seen.
8 But even so, they have no excuse:	8 Howbeit neither are they to be pardoned.
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 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?
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 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.
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 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;
12 The bits left over from his work he uses for cooking his food, then eats his fil .	12 And after spending the refuse of his work to dress his meat, hath filled himself;
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 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;
14 or perhaps he makes it into some vile animal, smears it with ochre, paints its surface red, coats overal its blemishes.	14 Or made it like some vile beast, laying it over with vermilion, and with paint colouring it red, and covering every spot therein;
15 He next makes a worthy home for it, lets it into the wal , fixes it with an iron clamp.	15 And when he had made a convenient room for it, set it in a wall, and made it fast with iron:
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 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:
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 Then maketh he prayer for his goods, for his wife and children, and is not ashamed to speak to that which hath no life.
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 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:
19 for profit, an undertaking, and success in pursuing his craft, he asks skil from something whosehands have no skil whatever.	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.