1O God of the fathers, and Gr. Lord of thy mercy. Compare 2 Sam. vii. 15; Ps. lxxxix. 49. Lord who keepest thy mercy,

Who madest all things Gr. in. by thy word;

2And by thy wisdom thou formedst man,

That he should have dominion over the creatures that were made by thee,

3And rule the world in holiness and righteousness,

And execute judgement in uprightness of soul;

4Give me wisdom, her that sitteth by thee on thy Gr. thrones. throne;

And reject me not from among thy Or, children servants:

5Because I am thy bondman and the son of thy handmaid,

A man weak and short-lived,

And of small power to understand judgement and laws.

6For even if a man be perfect among the sons of men,

Yet if the wisdom that cometh from thee be not with him, he shall be held in no account.

7Thou didst choose me before my brethren to be king of thy people,

And to do judgement for thy sons and daughters.

8Thou gavest command to build a sanctuary in thy holy mountain,

And Or, a place of sacrifice an altar in the city of thy Gr. tabernacling. habitation,

A copy of the holy tabernacle which thou preparedst aforehand from the beginning.

9And with thee is wisdom, which knoweth thy works,

And was present when thou wast making the world,

And which understandeth what is pleasing in thine eyes,

And what is right Gr. in. according to thy commandments.

10Send her forth out of the holy heavens,

And from the throne of thy glory bid her come,

That being present with me she may toil with me,

And that I may learn what is well-pleasing before thee.

11For she knoweth all things and hath understanding thereof,

And in my doings she shall guide me in ways of soberness,

And she shall guard me in her glory.

12And so shall my works be acceptible,

And I shall judge thy people righteously,

And I shall be worthy of my father’s Gr. thrones. throne.

13For what man shall know the counsel of God?

Or who shall conceive what the Lord willeth?

14For the thoughts of mortals are The Greek text here is perhaps corrupt. timorous,

And our devices are prone to fail.

15For a corruptible body weigheth down the soul,

And the earthy frame lieth heavy on a mind that Or, museth upon many things is full of cares.

16And hardly do we Gr. conjecture. divine the things that are on earth,

And the things that are close at hand we find with labour;

But the things that are in the heavens who ever yet traced out?

17And who ever gained knowledge of thy counsel, except thou Or, hadst given...and sent gavest wisdom,

And sentest thy holy spirit Gr. from the highest. from on high?

18And it was thus that the ways of them which are on earth were corrected,

And men were taught the things that are pleasing unto thee;

And through wisdom were they saved.