Wisdom 4

Wisdom of Solomon 4

¹Better than this is childlessness with virtue,[#Ps 112.6; Prov 10.7; Sir 16.3]

for in the memory of virtue is immortality,

because it is known both by God and by mortals.

²When it is present, people imitate it,[#Wis 5.16; 1 Cor 9.24, 25; Jas 1.12; #4.2 Other ancient authorities read honor]

and they long for it when it has gone;

throughout all time it marches, crowned in triumph,

victor in the contest for prizes that are undefiled.

³But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use,[#Job 18.16; Sir 23.25]

and none of their illegitimate seedlings will strike a deep root

or take a firm hold.

⁴For even if they put forth boughs for a while,[#Ps 37.35, 36; Mt 7.19, 27; Jude 12]

standing insecurely they will be shaken by the wind,

and by the violence of the winds they will be uprooted.

⁵The branches will be broken off before they come to maturity,[#Wis 3.16; Jn 15.2, 6; Rom 11.17, 19, 20]

and their fruit will be useless,

not ripe enough to eat and good for nothing.

⁶For children born of unlawful unions[#Sir 41.7]

are witnesses of evil against their parents when God examines them.

⁷But the righteous, even if they die early, will be at rest.

⁸For old age is not honored for length of time

or measured by number of years,

⁹but understanding is gray hair for anyone,

and a blameless life is ripe old age.

¹⁰There was one who pleased God and was loved by him[#v 14 ; Gen 5.24]

and while living among sinners was taken up.

¹¹He was caught up so that evil might not change his understanding[#Isa 57.1]

or guile deceive his soul.

¹²For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good,[#Wis 2.21]

and roving desire perverts the innocent mind.

¹³Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years,[#Heb 5.9]

¹⁴for his soul was pleasing to the Lord;[#v 10]

therefore he hastened him from the midst of wickedness.

Yet the peoples saw and did not understand

or take such a thing to heart,

¹⁵that God’s grace and mercy are with his elect[#Isa 6.9; Wis 3.9]

and that he watches over his holy ones.

The Triumph of the Righteous

¹⁶The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are living,[#Isa 65.20; Mt 12.41, 42]

and youth that is quickly perfected will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous.

¹⁷For they will see the end of the wise[#Wis 3.2]

and will not understand what the Lord purposed for them

and for what he kept them safe.

¹⁸The unrighteous will see and will have contempt for them,[#4.18 Gk They]

but the Lord will laugh them to scorn.

¹⁹After this they will become dishonored corpses[#Ps 2.4; 9.6; 37.13; Isa 14.19]

and an outrage among the dead forever,

because he will dash them speechless to the ground

and shake them from the foundations;

they will be left utterly dry and barren,

and they will suffer anguish,

and the memory of them will perish.

The Final Judgment

²⁰They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,[#Jer 2.19]

and their lawless deeds will convict them to their face.