Wisdom of Solomon, 13

1. For all men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan;

1. Yes, naturally stupid are all who are unaware of God, and who, from good things seen, have not been able to discover Him-who-is, or, by studying the works, have not recognised the Artificer.

2. But either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water, or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods.

2. Fire, however, or wind, or the swift air, the sphere of the stars, impetuous water, heaven's lamps, are what they have held to be the gods who govern the world.

3. Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them.

3. If, charmed by their beauty, they have taken these for gods, let them know how much the Master of these excels them, since he was the very source of beauty that created them.

4. Or if they were struck by their might and energy, let them from these things realize how much more powerful is he who made them.

4. And if they have been impressed by their power and energy, let them deduce from these how much mightier is he that has formed them,

5. For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen.

5. since through the grandeur and beauty of the creatures we may, by analogy, contemplate their Author.

6. But yet, for these the blame is less; For they indeed have gone astray perhaps, though they seek God and wish to find him.

6. Small blame, however, attaches to them, for perhaps they go astray only in their search for God and their eagerness to find him;

7. For they search busily among his works, but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.

7. familiar with his works, they investigate them and fall victim to appearances, seeing so much beauty.

8. But again, not even these are pardonable.

8. But even so, they have no excuse:

9. For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its LORD?

9. if they are capable of acquiring enough knowledge to be able to investigate the world, how have they been so slow to find its Master?

10. But doomed are they, and in dead things are their hopes, who termed gods things made by human hands: Gold and silver, the product of art, and likenesses of beasts, or useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.

10. But wretched are they, with their hopes set on dead things, who have given the title of gods to human artefacts, gold or silver, skilfully worked, figures of animals, or useless stone, carved by some hand long ago.

11. A carpenter may saw out a suitable tree and skillfully scrape off all its bark, And deftly plying his art, produce something fit for daily use,

11. Take a woodcutter. He fells a suitable tree, neatly strips off the bark all over and then with admirable skill works the wood into an object useful in daily life.

12. and use up the refuse from his handiwork in preparing his food, and have his fill;

12. The bits left over from his work he uses for cooking his food, then eats his fill.

13. Then the good-for-nothing refuse from these remnants, crooked wood grown full of knots, he takes and carves to occupy his spare time. This wood he models with listless skill, and patterns it on the image of a man

13. There is still a good-for-nothing bit left over, a gnarled and knotted billet: he takes it and whittles it with the concentration of his leisure hours, he shapes it with the skill of experience, he gives it a human shape

14. or makes it resemble some worthless beast. When he has daubed it with red and crimsoned its surface with red stain, and daubed over every blemish in it,

14. or perhaps he makes it into some vile animal, smears it with ochre, paints its surface red, coats over all its blemishes.

15. He makes a fitting shrine for it and puts it on the wall, fastening it with a nail.

15. He next makes a worthy home for it, lets it into the wall, fixes it with an iron clamp.

16. Thus lest it fall down he provides for it, knowing that it cannot help itself; for, truly, it is an image and needs help.

16. Thus he makes sure that it will not fall down -- being well aware that it cannot help itself, since it is only an image, and needs to be helped.

17. But when he prays about his goods or marriage or children, he is not ashamed to address the thing without a soul. And for vigor he invokes the powerless;

17. And yet, if he wishes to pray for his goods, for his marriage, for his children, he does not blush to harangue this lifeless thing -- for health, he invokes what is weak,

18. and for life he entreats the dead; And for aid he beseeches the wholly incompetent, and about travel, something that cannot even walk.

18. for life, he pleads with what is dead, for help, he goes begging to total inexperience, for a journey, what cannot even use its feet,

19. And for profit in business and success with his hands he asks facility of a thing with hands completely inert.

19. for profit, an undertaking, and success in pursuing his craft, he asks skill from something whose hands have no skill whatever.