Wisdom 19

¹ Forsothe thou hast chose me kyng to thi puple, and a iuge of thi sones and douytris; ² and thou seidist, that Y schulde bilde a temple in thin holi hil, and an auter in the citee of thi dwellyng place; the licnesse of thin hooli tabernacle, which thou madist redi at the bigynnyng. ³ And thi wisdom is with thee, that knowith thi werkis, which also was present thanne, whanne thou madist the world, and wiste what was plesaunt to thin iyen, and what was dressid in thi comaundementis. ⁴ Sende thou that wisdom fro thin hooli heuenes, and fro the seete of thi greetnesse, that it be with me, and trauele with me; and that Y wyte what is acceptable anentis thee. ⁵ Forwhi thilke wisdom knowith and vndirstondith alle thingis; and it schal lede me forth in my werkis sobrely, and it schal kepe me in his power. ⁶ And my werkis schulen be acceptable, and Y schal dispose thi puple iustli, and Y schal be worthi of the seetis of my fadir. ⁷ For who of men mai knowe the counsel of God? ether who mai thenke, what wole God? ⁸ For whi the thouytis of deedli men ben dreedful, and oure puruyaunces ben vncerteyn. ⁹ For whi the bodi that is corrupt, greueth the soule; and ertheli dwellyng pressith doun the wit, thenkynge many thingis. ¹⁰ And of hard we gessen tho thingis, that ben in erthe; and we fynden with trauel tho thingis, that ben in biholdyng. ¹¹ But who schal serche tho thingis, that ben in heuenes? But who schal knowe thi wit, no but thou yyue wisdom, and sende thin Hooli Spirit fro hiyeste thingis? 12 And if the pathis of hem, that ben in londis, ben amendid, and if men han lernyd tho thingis, that plesen thee. 13 For whi, Lord, whiche euer plesiden thee fro the bigynnyng, weren maad hool bi wisdom. 15 This wisdom of God kepte hym, that was formed first of God, the fadir of the world, whanne he aloone was maad of nouyt. ¹⁶ And this wisdom ledde hym out of his trespas, and ledde hym out of the sliym of erthe, and yaf to hym vertu to holde togider alle thingis. 17 As the vnjust man in his ire yede awei fro this wisdom, brotherhed perischide bi the ire of manquellyng. 18 For which thing whanne watir dide awei the erthe, wisdom heelide eft; gouernynge a iust man bi a dispisable tre. 19 This wisdom also in the consent of pride, whanne naciouns hadden reisid hem silf, knew a iust man, and kept with out playnt to God; and this wisdom kepte strong merci in sones. 20 This wisdom deliuerede a iust man fleynge fro wickid men perischinge, whanne fier cam doun in to the place of fyue cytees. ²¹ For whiche wickid men the lond smokynge is maad deseert, in to witnessyng of weiwardnesse, and trees hauynge fruytis in vncerteyn tyme; and the mynde of an vnbileueful soule stondynge an ymage of salt. ²² For whi men passynge wisdom, not oneli fellen in this, that thei knewen not goodis, but also thei leften to men the mynde of her vnwisdom, that in these synnes, whiche thei diden, thei miyten not be hid.