Wisdom 19

1 Thou hast chosen me to be king of thy people, and a judge of thy sons and daughters: 2 And hast commanded me to build a temple on thy holy mount, and an altar in the city of thy dwelling place, a resemblance of thy holy tabernacle, which thou hast prepared from the beginning: 3 And thy wisdom with thee, which knoweth thy works, which then also was present when thou madest the world, and knew what was agreeable to thy eyes, and what was right in thy commandments. 4 Send her out of thy holy heaven, and from the throne of thy majesty, that she may be with me, and may labour with me, that I may know what is acceptable with thee: 5 For she knoweth and understandeth all things, and shall lead me soberly in my works, and shall preserve me by her power. 6 So shall my works be acceptable, and I shall govern thy people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne of my father. 7 For who among men is he that can know the counsel of God? or who can think what the will of God is? 8 For the thoughts of mortal men are fearful, and our counsels uncertain. 9 For the corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth down the mind that museth upon many things. 10 And hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon earth: and with labour do we find the things that are before us. But the things that are in heaven, who shall search out? 11 And who shall know thy thought, except thou give wisdom, and send thy holy Spirit from above: 12 And so the ways of them that are upon earth may be corrected, and men may learn the things that please thee? 13 For by wisdom they were healed, whosoever have pleased thee, O Lord, from the beginning. 15 She preserved him, that was first formed by God, the father of the world, when he was created alone, 16 And she brought him out of his sin, and gave him power to govern all things. 17 But when the unjust went away from her in his anger, he perished by the fury wherewith he murdered his brother. 18 For whose cause, when water destroyed the earth, wisdom healed it again, directing the course of the just by contemptible wood. 19 Moreover, when the nations had conspired together to consent to wickedness, she knew the just, and preserved him without blame to God, and kept him strong against the compassion for his son. 20 She delivered the just man, who fled from the wicked that were perishing, when the fire came down upon Pentapolis: 21 Whose land, for a testimony of their wickedness, is desolate, and smoketh to this day, and the trees bear fruits that ripen not, and a standing pillar of salt is a monument of an incredulous soul. 22 For regarding not wisdom, they did not only slip in this, that they were ignorant of good things; but they left also unto men a memorial of their folly, so that in the things in which they sinned, they could not so much as lie hid.