“ And if riches be desired in life, what is richer than wisdom, which maketh all things?
8:6. And if sense do work: who is a more artful worker than she of those things that are?
8:7. And if a man love justice: her labours have great virtues: for she teacheth temperance, and prudence, and justice, and fortitude, which are such things as men can have nothing more profitable in life. ”

“ But thou, our God, art gracious and true, patient, and ordering all things in mercy.
15:2. For if we sin, we are thine, knowing thy greatness: and if we sin not, we know that we are counted with thee.
15:3. For to know thee is perfect justice: and to know thy justice, and thy power, is the root of immortality.
15:4. For the invention of mischievous men hath not deceived us, nor the shadow of a picture, a fruitless labour, a graven figure with divers colours,
15:5. The sight whereof enticeth the fool to lust after it, and he loveth the lifeless figure of a dead image. ”

“ Wisdom Chapter 3
The happiness of the just: and the unhappiness of the wicked.
3:1. But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.
3:2. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery:
3:3. And their going away from us, for utter destruction: but they are in peace.
3:4. And though in the sight of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality.
3:5. Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded: because God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself. ”

“ For God made not death, neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living.
1:14. For he created all things that they might be: and he made the nations of the earth for health: and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor kingdom of hell upon the earth.
1:15. For justice is perpetual and immortal.
1:16. But the wicked with works and words have called it to them: and esteeming it a friend, have fallen away and have made a covenant with it: because they are worthy to be of the part thereof. ”

“ For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.
1:5. For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful, and will withdraw himself from thoughts that are without understanding, and he shall not abide when iniquity cometh in.
1:6. For the spirit of wisdom is benevolent, and will not acquit the evil speaker from his lips: for God is witness of his reins, and he is a true searcher of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue.
1:7. For the Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world: and that which containeth all things, hath knowledge of the voice. ”

“ Neither shall king, nor tyrant, in thy sight inquire about them whom thou hast destroyed.
12:15. For so much then, as thou art just, thou orderest all things justly: thinking it not agreeable to the power, to condemn him who deserveth not to be punished.
12:16. For thy power is the beginning of justice: and because thou art Lord of all, thou makest thyself gracious to all.
12:17. For thou shewest thy power, when men will not believe thee to be absolute in power, and thou convincest the boldness of them that know thee not. ”

“ And our name in time shall be forgotten, and no man shall have any remembrance of our works.
2:5. For our time is as the passing of a shadow, and there is no going back of our end: for it is fast sealed, and no man returneth:
2:6. Come, therefore, and let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth. ”

“ But thou hast mercy upon all, because thou canst do all things, and overlookest the sins of men for the sake of repentance.
11:25. For thou lovest all things that are, and hatest none of the things which thou hast made: for thou didst not appoint, or make any thing hating it. ”

“ And all such things as are hid, and not foreseen, I have learned: for wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me.
7:22. For in her is the spirit of understanding; holy, one, manifold, subtile, eloquent, active, undefiled, sure, sweet, loving that which is good, quick, which nothing hindereth, beneficent,
7:23. Gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure, having all power, overseeing all things, and containing all spirits: intelligible, pure, subtile:
7:24. For wisdom is more active than all active things; and reacheth everywhere, by reason of her purity. ”

“ And they shall fall after this without honour, and be a reproach among the dead for ever: for he shall burst them puffed up and speechless, and shall shake them from the foundations, and they shall be utterly laid waste: they shall be in sorrow, and their memory shall perish. ”

“ But the just man, if he be prevented with death, shall be in rest.
4:8. For venerable old age is not that of long time, nor counted by the number of years: but the understanding of a man is grey hairs.
4:9. And a spotless life is old age.
4:10. He pleased God, and was beloved, and living among sinners, he was translated.
4:11. He was taken away, lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul.
4:12. For the bewitching of vanity obscureth good things, and the wandering of concupiscence overturneth the innocent mind. ”

“ But the wicked shall be punished according to their own devices: who have neglected the just, and have revolted from the Lord.
3:11. For he that rejecteth wisdom, and discipline, is unhappy: and their hope is vain, and their labours without fruit, and their works unprofitable. ”

“ And thick hail shall be cast upon them from the stone casting wrath: the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the rivers shall run together in a terrible manner.
5:24. A mighty wind shall stand up against them, and as a whirlwind shall divide them: and their iniquity shall bring all the earth to a desert, and wickedness shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty.
Wisdom Chapter 6
An address to princes to seek after wisdom: she is easily found by those that seek her.
6:1. Wisdom is better than strength: and a wise man is better than a strong man. ”

“ Shewing that thou art able to save out of all things, yea, though a man went to sea without art.
14:5. But that the works of thy wisdom might not be idle: therefore men also trust their lives even to a little wood, and passing over the sea by ship, are saved. ”

“ And if a man desire much knowledge: she knoweth things past, and judgeth of things to come: she knoweth the subtilties of speeches, and the solutions of arguments: she knoweth signs and wonders before they be done, and the events of times and ages. ”

“ Instead of which things, thou didst feed thy people with the food of angels, and gavest them bread from heaven, prepared without labour; having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste.
16:21. For thy sustenance shewed thy sweetness to thy children, and serving every man's will, it was turned to what every man liked.
16:22. But snow and ice endured the force of fire, and melted not: that they might know that the fire, burning in the hail, and flashing in the rain, destroyed the fruits of the enemies. ”

“ But unhappy are they, and their hope is among the dead, who have called gods the works of the hand of men, gold and silver, the inventions of art, and the resemblances of beasts, or an unprofitable stone the work of an ancient hand. ”

“ And the delusions of their magic art were put down, and their boasting of wisdom was reproachfully rebuked.
17:8. For they who promised to drive away fears and troubles from a sick soul, were sick themselves of a fear worthy to be laughed at.
17:9. For though no terrible thing disturbed them: yet being scared with the passing by of beasts, and hissing of serpents, they died for fear and denying that they saw the air, which could by no means be avoided.
17:10. For whereas wickedness is fearful, it beareth witness of its condemnation: for a troubled conscience always forecasteth grievous things. ”

“ And of the same clay by a vain labour he maketh a god: he who a little before was made of earth himself, and a little after returneth to the same out of which he was taken, when his life, which was lent him, shall be called for again. ”

“ They shall judge nations, and rule over people, and their Lord shall reign for ever.
3:9. They that trust in him shall understand the truth: and they that are faithful in love, shall rest in him: for grace and peace are to his elect. ”

“ And all things are mingled together, blood, murder, theft, and dissimulation, corruption and unfaithfulness, tumults and perjury, disquieting of the good,
14:26. Forgetfulness of God, defiling of souls, changing of nature, disorder in marriage, and the irregularity of adultery and uncleanness.
14:27. For the worship of abominable idols is the cause, and the beginning and end of all evil.
14:28. For either they are mad when they are merry: or they prophesy lies, or they live unjustly, or easily forswear themselves. ”

“ And this was the occasion of deceiving human life: for men serving either their affection, or their kings, gave the incommunicable name to stones and wood.
14:22. And it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God, but whereas they lived in a great war of ignorance, they call so many and so great evils peace.
14:23. For either they sacrifice their own children, or use hidden sacrifices, or keep watches full of madness,
14:24. So that now they neither keep life, nor marriage undefiled, but one killeth another through envy, or grieveth him by adultery:
14:25. ”

“ For no man can make a god like to himself.
15:17. For being mortal himself, he formeth a dead thing with his wicked hands. For he is better than they whom he worshippeth, because he indeed hath lived, though he were mortal, but they never.
15:18. Moreover, they worship also the vilest creatures: but things without sense, compared to these, are worse than they.
15:19. Yea, neither by sight can any man see good of these beasts. But they have fled from the praise of God, and from his blessing.
Wisdom Chapter 16
God's different dealings with the Egyptians and with his own people. ”

“ But the just also were afterwards touched by an assault of death, and there was a disturbance of the multitude in the wilderness: but thy wrath did not long continue;
18:21. For a blameless man made haste to pry for the people, bringing forth the shield of his ministry, prayer, and by incense making supplication, withstood the wrath, and put an end to the calamity, shewing that he was thy servant.
18:22. And he overcame the disturbance, not by strength of body nor with force of arms, but with a word he subdued him that punished them, alleging the oath and covenant made with the fathers. ”

“ And the eunuch, that hath not wrought iniquity with his hands, nor thought wicked things against God for the precious gift of faith shall be given to him, and a most acceptable lot in the temple of God.
3:15. For the fruit of good labours is glorious, and the root of wisdom never faileth. ”

“ They shall come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their iniquities shall stand against them to convict them.
Wisdom Chapter 5
The fruitless repentance of the wicked in another world: the reward of the just.
5:1. Then shall the just stand with great constancy against those that have afflicted them, and taken away their labours. ”

“ Then, in process of time, wicked custom prevailing, this error was kept as a law, and statues were worshipped by the commandment of tyrants.
14:17. And those whom men could not honour in presence, because they dwelt far off, they brought their resemblance from afar, and made an express image of the king, whom they had a mind to honour: that by this their diligence, they might honour as present, him that was absent. ”

“ For a necessity, of which they were worthy, brought them to this end: and they lost the remembrance of those things which had happened, that their punishment might fill up what was wanting to their torments:
19:5. And that thy people might wonderfully pass through, but they might find a new death. ”

“ Dumb beasts... Viz., frogs, sciniphs, flies, and locusts.
11:17. That they might know that by what things a man sinneth, by the same also he is tormented.
11:18. For thy almighty hand, which made the world of matter without form, was not unable to send upon them a multitude of bears, or fierce lions,
11:19. Or unknown beasts of a new kind, full of rage; either breathing out a fiery vapour, or sending forth a stinking smoke, or shooting horrible sparks out of their eyes:
11:20. Whereof not only the hurt might be able to destroy them, but also the very sight might kill them through fear. ”