The Holy Scripture
Chapter XXIV
Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people.
ἡ σοφία αἰνέσει ψυχὴν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐν μέσῳ λαοῦ αὐτῆς καυχήσεται
In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, and triumph before his power.
ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ὑψίστου στόμα αὐτῆς ἀνοίξει καὶ ἔναντι δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ καυχήσεται
I came out of the mouth of the most High, and covered the earth as a cloud.
ἐγὼ ἀπὸ στόματος ὑψίστου ἐξῆλθον καὶ ὡς ὁμίχλη κατεκάλυψα γῆν
I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar.
ἐγὼ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατεσκήνωσα καὶ ὁ θρόνος μου ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης
I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the bottom of the deep.
γῦρον οὐρανοῦ ἐκύκλωσα μόνη καὶ ἐν βάθει ἀβύσσων περιεπάτησα
In the waves of the sea, and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession.
ἐν κύμασιν θαλάσσης καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ καὶ ἐν παντὶ λαῷ καὶ ἔθνει ἐκτησάμην
With all these I sought rest: and in whose inheritance shall I abide?
μετὰ τούτων πάντων ἀνάπαυσιν ἐζήτησα καὶ ἐν κληρονομίᾳ τίνος αὐλισθήσομαι
So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel.
τότε ἐνετείλατό μοι ὁ κτίστης ἁπάντων καὶ ὁ κτίσας με κατέπαυσεν τὴν σκηνήν μου καὶ εἶπεν ἐν Ιακωβ κατασκήνωσον καὶ ἐν Ισραηλ κατακληρονομήθητι
He created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail.
πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ἔκτισέν με καὶ ἕως αἰῶνος οὐ μὴ ἐκλίπω
In the holy tabernacle I served before him; and so was I established in Sion.
ἐν σκηνῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐλειτούργησα καὶ οὕτως ἐν Σιων ἐστηρίχθην
Likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, and in Jerusalem was my power.
ἐν πόλει ἠγαπημένῃ ὁμοίως με κατέπαυσεν καὶ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἡ ἐξουσία μου
And I took root in an honourable people, even in the portion of the Lord's inheritance.
καὶ ἐρρίζωσα ἐν λαῷ δεδοξασμένῳ ἐν μερίδι κυρίου κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ
I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon.
ὡς κέδρος ἀνυψώθην ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ καὶ ὡς κυπάρισσος ἐν ὄρεσιν Αερμων
I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore, and as a rose plant in Jericho, as a fair olive tree in a plain, and grew up as a plane tree.
ὡς φοῖνιξ ἀνυψώθην ἐν Αιγγαδοις καὶ ὡς φυτὰ ῥόδου ἐν Ιεριχω ὡς ἐλαία εὐπρεπὴς ἐν πεδίῳ καὶ ἀνυψώθην ὡς πλάτανος
I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, and I yielded a pleasant odour like the best myrrh, as galbanum, and onyx, and sweet storax, and as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.
ὡς κιννάμωμον καὶ ἀσπάλαθος ἀρωμάτων δέδωκα ὀσμὴν καὶ ὡς σμύρνα ἐκλεκτὴ διέδωκα εὐωδίαν ὡς χαλβάνη καὶ ὄνυξ καὶ στακτὴ καὶ ὡς λιβάνου ἀτμὶς ἐν σκηνῇ
As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, and my branches are the branches of honour and grace.
ἐγὼ ὡς τερέμινθος ἐξέτεινα κλάδους μου καὶ οἱ κλάδοι μου κλάδοι δόξης καὶ χάριτος
As the vine brought I forth pleasant savour, and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.
ἐγὼ ὡς ἄμπελος ἐβλάστησα χάριν καὶ τὰ ἄνθη μου καρπὸς δόξης καὶ πλούτου
Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits.
προσέλθετε πρός με οἱ ἐπιθυμοῦντές μου καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενημάτων μου ἐμπλήσθητε
For my memorial is sweeter than honey, and mine inheritance than the honeycomb.
τὸ γὰρ μνημόσυνόν μου ὑπὲρ τὸ μέλι γλυκύ καὶ ἡ κληρονομία μου ὑπὲρ μέλιτος κηρίον
They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.
οἱ ἐσθίοντές με ἔτι πεινάσουσιν καὶ οἱ πίνοντές με ἔτι διψήσουσιν
He that obeyeth me shall never be confounded, and they that work by me shall not do amiss.
ὁ ὑπακούων μου οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσεται καὶ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτήσουσιν
All these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, [even] the law which Moses commanded for an heritage unto the congregations of Jacob.
ταῦτα πάντα βίβλος διαθήκης θεοῦ ὑψίστου νόμον ὃν ἐνετείλατο ἡμῖν Μωυσῆς κληρονομίαν συναγωγαῖς Ιακωβ
He filleth all things with his wisdom, as Phison and as Tigris in the time of the new fruits.
ὁ πιμπλῶν ὡς Φισων σοφίαν καὶ ὡς Τίγρις ἐν ἡμέραις νέων
He maketh the understanding to abound like Euphrates, and as Jordan in the time of the harvest.
ὁ ἀναπληρῶν ὡς Εὐφράτης σύνεσιν καὶ ὡς Ιορδάνης ἐν ἡμέραις θερισμοῦ
He maketh the doctrine of knowledge appear as the light, and as Geon in the time of vintage.
ὁ ἐκφαίνων ὡς φῶς παιδείαν ὡς Γηων ἐν ἡμέραις τρυγήτου
The first man knew her not perfectly: no more shall the last find her out.
οὐ συνετέλεσεν ὁ πρῶτος γνῶναι αὐτήν καὶ οὕτως ὁ ἔσχατος οὐκ ἐξιχνίασεν αὐτήν
For her thoughts are more than the sea, and her counsels profounder than the great deep.
ἀπὸ γὰρ θαλάσσης ἐπληθύνθη διανόημα αὐτῆς καὶ ἡ βουλὴ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ ἀβύσσου μεγάλης
I also came out as a brook from a river, and as a conduit into a garden.
κἀγὼ ὡς διῶρυξ ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ καὶ ὡς ὑδραγωγὸς ἐξῆλθον εἰς παράδεισον
I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed: and, lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.
εἶπα ποτιῶ μου τὸν κῆπον καὶ μεθύσω μου τὴν πρασιάν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγένετό μοι ἡ διῶρυξ εἰς ποταμόν καὶ ὁ ποταμός μου ἐγένετο εἰς θάλασσαν
I will yet make doctrine to shine as the morning, and will send forth her light afar off.
ἔτι παιδείαν ὡς ὄρθρον φωτιῶ καὶ ἐκφανῶ αὐτὰ ἕως εἰς μακράν
I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it to all ages for ever.
ἔτι διδασκαλίαν ὡς προφητείαν ἐκχεῶ καὶ καταλείψω αὐτὴν εἰς γενεὰς αἰώνων
Behold that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all them that seek wisdom.
ἴδετε ὅτι οὐκ ἐμοὶ μόνῳ ἐκοπίασα ἀλλ᾿ ἅπασιν τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτήν