1 Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people.
2 In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, and triumph before his power.
3 I came out of the mouth of the most High, and covered the earth as a cloud.
4 I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar.
5 I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the bottom of the deep.
6 In the waves of the sea and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession.
7 With all these I sought rest: and in whose inheritance shall I abide?
8 So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel.
9 He created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail.
10 In the holy tabernacle I served before him; and so was I established in Sion.
11 Likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, and in Jerusalem was my power.
12 And I took root in an honourable people, even in the portion of the Lord’s inheritance.
13 I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon.
14 I was exalted like a palm tree in En-gaddi, and as a rose plant in Jericho, as a fair olive tree in a pleasant field, and grew up as a plane tree by the water.
15 I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, and I yielded a pleasant odour like the best myrrh, as galbanum, and onyx, and sweet storax, and as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.
16 As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, and my branches are the branches of honour and grace.
17 As the vine brought I forth pleasant savour, and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.
18 I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope: I therefore, being eternal, am given to all my children which are named of him.
19 Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits.
20 For my memorial is sweeter than honey, and mine inheritance than the honeycomb.
21 They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.
22 He that obeyeth me shall never be confounded, and they that work by me shall not do amiss.
23 All these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, even the law which Moses commanded for an heritage unto the congregations of Jacob.
24 Faint not to be strong in the Lord; that he may confirm you, cleave unto him: for the Lord Almighty is God alone, and beside him there is no other Saviour.
25 He filleth all things with his wisdom, as Phison and as Tigris in the time of the new fruits.
26 He maketh the understanding to abound like Euphrates, and as Jordan in the time of the harvest.
27 He maketh the doctrine of knowledge appear as the light, and as Geon in the time of vintage.
28 The first man knew her not perfectly: no more shall the last find her out.
29 For her thoughts are more than the sea, and her counsels profounder than the great deep.
30 I also came out as a brook from a river, and as a conduit into a garden.
31 I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed: and, lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.
32 I will yet make doctrine to shine as the morning, and will send forth her light afar off.
33 I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it to all ages for ever.
34 Behold that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all them that seek wisdom.
1 sapientiae laus
Sapientia laudabit animam suam et in Deo honorabitur
et in medio populi sui gloriabitur
2 et in ecclesiis Altissimi aperiet os suum
et in conspectu virtutis illius gloriabitur
3 in medio populo exaltabitur
et in plenitudine sancta admirabitur
4 in multitudine electorum habebit laudem
et inter benedictos benedicetur dicens
5 ego ex ore Altissimi prodivi primogenita ante omnem creaturam
6 ego in caelis feci ut oriretur lumen indeficiens
et sicut nebula texi omnem terram
7 ego in altis habitavi
et thronus meus in columna nubis
8 gyrum caeli circuivi sola
et in profundum abyssi penetravi
et in fluctibus maris ambulavi
9 et in omni terra steti
et in omni populo
10 et in omni gente primatum habui
11 et omnium excellentium et humilium corda virtute calcavi
et in his omnibus requiem quaesivi
et in hereditate eius morabor
12 tunc praecepit et dixit mihi creator omnium
et qui creavit me requievit in tabernaculo meo
13 et dixit mihi in Iacob inhabita
et in Israhel hereditare
et in electis meis ede radices
14 ab initio ante saeculum creata sum
et usque ad futurum saeculum non desinam
et in habitatione sancta coram ipso ministravi
15 et sic in Sion firmata sum
et in civitate sanctificata similiter requievi
et in Hierusalem potestas mea
16 et radicavi in populo honorificato
et in parte Dei mei hereditas illius
et in plenitudine sanctorum detentio mea
17 quasi cedrus exaltata sum in Libano
et quasi cypressus in monte Sion
18 et quasi palma exaltata sum in Cades
et quasi plantatio rosae in Hiericho
19 quasi oliva speciosa in campis
et quasi platanus exaltata sum iuxta aquam in plateis
20 sicut cinnamomum et aspaltum aromatizans odorem dedi
quasi murra electa dedi suavitatem odoris
21 et quasi storax et galbanus et ungula et gutta
et quasi libanus non incisus vaporavi habitationem meam
et quasi balsamum non mixtum odor meus
22 ego quasi terebinthus extendi ramos meos
et rami mei honoris et gratiae
23 ego quasi vitis fructificavi suavitatem odoris
et flores mei fructus honoris et honestatis
24 ego mater pulchrae dilectionis et timoris et agnitionis et sanctae spei
25 in me gratia omnis vitae et veritatis
in me omnis spes vitae et virtutis
26 transite ad me omnes qui concupiscitis me
et a generationibus meis implemini
27 spiritus enim meus super melle dulcis
et hereditas mea super mel et favum
28 memoria mea in generatione saeculorum
29 qui edunt me adhuc esurient et qui bibunt me adhuc sitient
30 qui audit me non confundetur
et qui operantur in me non peccabunt
31 qui elucidant me vitam aeternam habebunt
32 haec omnia liber vitae
testamentum Altissimi et agnitio veritatis
33 legem mandavit Moses in praeceptis iustitiarum
et hereditatem domui Iacob et Israhel promissionis
34 posuit David puero suo excitare regem ex ipso fortissimum
in throno honoris sedentem in sempiternum
35 qui implet quasi Phison sapientiam
et sicut Tigris in diebus novorum
36 qui adimplet quasi Eufrates sensum
qui multiplicat quasi Iordanis in tempore messis
37 qui mittit disciplinam sicut lucem
et adsistens quasi Geon in die vindemiae
38 qui perficit primus scire ipsam
et infirmior non investigavit eam
39 a mari enim abundavit cogitatio eius
et consilium illius abysso magna
40 ego sapientia effudi flumina
41 ego quasi tramis aquae inmensae de fluvio
ego quasi fluvius Doryx
et sicut aquaeductus exivi a paradiso
42 dixi rigabo meum hortum plantationum
et inebriabo pratus mei fructum
43 et ecce facta est mihi tramis abundans
et fluvius meus propinquavit ad mare
44 quoniam doctrinam quasi antelucanum inlumino omnibus
et enarrabo illam usque in longinquo
45 penetrabo inferiores partes terrae
et inspiciam omnes dormientes
et inluminabo sperantes in Deo
46 adhuc doctrinam quasi prophetiam effundam
et relinquam illam quaerentibus sapientiam
et non desinam in progenies illorum usque in aevum sanctum
47 videte quoniam non soli mihi laboravi
sed omnibus exquirentibus veritatem