9 Hear, Israel, the commandments of life: give ear to understand wisdom. |
10 How happeneth it Israel, that thou art in thine enemies' land, that thou art waxen old in a strange country, that thou art defiled with the dead, |
11 That thou art counted with them that go down into the grave? |
12 Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom. |
13 For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou shouldest have dwelled in peace for ever. |
14 Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, where is understanding; that thou mayest know also where is length of days, and life, where is the light of the eyes, and peace. |
15 Who hath found out her place? or who hath come into her treasures ? |
16 Where are the princes of the heathen become, and such as ruled the beasts upon the earth; |
17 They that had their pastime with the fowls of the air, and they that hoarded up silver and gold, wherein men trust, and made no end of their getting? |
18 For they that wrought in silver, and were so careful, and whose works are unsearchable, |
19 They are vanished and gone down to the grave, and others are come up in their steads. |
20 Young men have seen light, and dwelt upon the earth: but the way of knowledge have they not known, |
21 Nor understood the paths thereof, nor laid hold of it: their children were far off from that way. |
22 It hath not been heard of in Chanaan, neither hath it been seen in Theman. |
23 The Agarenes that seek wisdom upon earth, the merchants of Meran and of Theman, the authors of fables, and searchers out of understanding; none of these have known the way of wisdom, or remember her paths. |
24 O Israel, how great is the house of God! and how large is the place of his possession! |
25 Great, and hath none end; high, and unmeasurable. |
26 There were the giants famous from the beginning, that were of so great stature, and so expert in war. |
27 Those did not the Lord choose, neither gave he the way of knowledge unto them: |
28 But they were destroyed, because they had no wisdom, and perished through their own foolishness. |
29 Who hath gone up into heaven, and taken her, and brought her down from the clouds? |
30 Who hath gone over the sea, and found her, and will bring her for pure gold? |
31 No man knoweth her way, nor thinketh of her path. |
32 But he that knoweth all things knoweth her, and hath found her out with his understanding: he that prepared the earth for evermore hath filled it with fourfooted beasts: |
33 He that sendeth forth light, and it goeth, calleth it again, and it obeyeth him with fear. |
34 The stars shined in their watches, and rejoiced: when he calleth them, they say, Here we be; and so with cheerfulness they shewed light unto him that made them. |
35 This is our God, and there shall none other be accounted of in comparison of him |
36 He hath found out all the way of knowledge, and hath given it unto Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved. |
37 Afterward did he shew himself upon earth, and conversed with men. |
