Wisdom 7:22-8:1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
22 for Wisdom, the artisan of all, taught me.(A)
Nature and Incomparable Dignity of Wisdom
[a] For in her is a spirit
intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain,
Never harmful, loving the good, keen,(B)
23 unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits,
though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
24 For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion,
and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.(C)
25 [b]For she is a breath of the might of God
and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore nothing defiled can enter into her.
26 For she is the reflection of eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the power of God,
the image of his goodness.(D)
27 Although she is one, she can do all things,
and she renews everything while herself perduring;
Passing into holy souls from age to age,
she produces friends of God and prophets.(E)
28 For God loves nothing so much as the one who dwells with Wisdom.
29 For she is fairer than the sun(F)
and surpasses every constellation of the stars.
Compared to light, she is found more radiant;
30 though night supplants light,
wickedness does not prevail over Wisdom.
Chapter 8
1 Indeed, she spans the world from end to end mightily
and governs all things well.(G)
Footnotes
- 7:22b–23 The twenty-one (7 × 3) attributes of the spirit in Wisdom reflect the influence of contemporary philosophy, especially the Stoa, but the personification rests also on Prv 8:22–31 and Sir 24.
- 7:25–26 Five strong metaphors underline the origins and closeness of Wisdom with God. See the use of this language in Hb 1:3; Col 1:15.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.