Wisdom is better than strength: and a wise man is better than a strong man.

Hear, therefore, ye kings, and understand, learn ye that are judges of the ends of the earth.

Give ear, you that rule the people, and that please yourselves in multitudes of nations:

For power is given you by the Lord, and strength by the most High, who will examine your works: and search out your thoughts:

Because being ministers of his kingdom, you have not judged rightly, nor kept the law of justice, nor walked according to the will of God.

Horribly and speedily will he appear to you: for a most severe judgment shall be for them that bear rule.

For to him that is little, mercy is granted: but the mighty shall be mightily tormented.

For God will not except any man’s person, neither will he stand in awe of any man’s greatness: for he made the little and the great, and he hath equally care of all.

But a greater punishment is ready for the more mighty.

To you, therefore, O kings, are these my words, that you may learn wisdom, and not fall from it.

For they that have kept just things justly, shall be justified: and they that have learned these things, shall find what to answer.

Covet ye, therefore, my words, and love them, and you shall have instruction.

Wisdom is glorious, and never fadeth away, and is easily seen by them that love her, and is found by them that seek her.

She preventeth them that covet her, so that she first sheweth herself unto them.

He that awaketh early to seek her, shall not labour: for he shall find her sitting at his door.

To think, therefore, upon her, is perfect understanding: and he that watcheth for her, shall quickly be secure.

For she goeth about seeking such as are worthy of her, and she sheweth herself to them cheerfully in the ways, and meeteth them with all providence.

For the beginning of her is the most true desire of discipline.

And the care of discipline is love: and love is the keeping of her laws: and the keeping of her laws is the firm foundation of incorruption:

And incorruption bringeth near to God.

Therefore the desire of wisdom bringeth to the everlasting kingdom.

If then your delight be in thrones, and sceptres, O ye kings of the people, love wisdom, that you may reign for ever.

Love the light of wisdom, all ye that bear rule over peoples.

Now what wisdom is, and what was her origin, I will declare: and I will not hide from you the mysteries of God, but will seek her out from the beginning of her birth, and bring the knowledge of her to light, and will not pass over the truth:

Neither will I go with consuming envy: for such a man shall not be partaker of wisdom.

Now the multitude of the wise is the welfare of the whole world: and a wise king is the upholding of the people.

Receive, therefore, instruction by my words, and it shall be profitable to you.

I myself also am a mortal man, like all others, and of the race of him, that was first made of the earth, and in the womb of my mother I was fashioned to be flesh.

In the time of ten months I was compacted in blood, of the seed of man, and the pleasure of sleep concurring.

And being born, I drew in the common air, and fell upon the earth, that is made alike, and the first voice which I uttered was crying, as all others do.

I was nursed in swaddling clothes, and with great cares.

For none of the kings had any other beginning of birth.

For all men have one entrance into life, and the like going out.

Wherefore I wished, and understanding was given me: and I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me:

And I preferred her before kingdoms and thrones, and esteemed riches nothing in comparison of her.

Neither did I compare unto her any precious stone: for all gold, in comparison of her, is as a little sand; and silver, in respect to her, shall be counted as clay.

I loved her above health and beauty, and chose to have her instead of light: for her light cannot be put out.

Now all good things came to me together with her, and innumerable riches through her hands,

And I rejoiced in all these: for this wisdom went before me, and I knew not that she was the mother of them all.

Which I have learned without guile, and communicate without envy, and her riches I hide not.

For she is an infinite treasure to men: which they that use, become the friends of God, being commended for the gifts of discipline.

And God hath given to me to speak as I would, and to conceive thoughts worthy of those things that are given me: because he is the guide of wisdom, and the director of the wise:

For in his hand are both we, and our words, and all wisdom, and the knowledge and skill of works.

For he hath given me the true knowledge of the things that are: to know the disposition of the whole world, and the virtues of the elements,

The beginning, and ending, and midst of the times, the alterations of their courses, and the changes of seasons,

The revolutions of the year, and the dispositions of the stars,

The natures of living creatures, and rage of wild beasts, the force of winds, and reasonings of men, the diversities of plants, and the virtues of roots,

And all such things as are hid, and not foreseen, I have learned: for wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me.

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,

Gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure, having all power, overseeing all things, and containing all spirits: intelligible, pure, subtile:

For wisdom is more active than all active things; and reacheth everywhere, by reason of her purity.

For she is a vapour of the power of God, and a certain pure emmanation of the glory of the Almighty God: and therefore no defiled thing cometh into her.

For she is the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirror of God’s majesty, and the image of his goodness.

And being but one, she can do all things: and remaining in herself the same, she reneweth all things, and through nations conveyeth herself into holy souls, she maketh the friends of God and prophets.

For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom.

For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of the stars: being compared with the light, she is found before it.

For after this cometh night, but no evil can overcome wisdom.

She reacheth, therefore, from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly.

Her have I loved, and have sought her out from my youth, and have desired to take for my spouse, and I became a lover of her beauty.

She glorifieth her nobility by being conversant with God: yea, and the Lord of all things hath loved her.

For it is she that teacheth the knowledge of God and is the chooser of his works.

And if riches be desired in life, what is richer than wisdom, which maketh all things?

And if sense do work: who is a more artful worker than she of those things that are?

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.

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.

I purposed, therefore, to take her to me to live with me: knowing that she will communicate to me of her good things, and will be a comfort in my cares and grief.

For her sake I shall have glory among the multitude, and honour with the ancients, though I be young:

And I shall be found of a quick conceit in judgment, and shall be admired in the sight of the mighty, and the faces of princes shall wonder at me.

They shall wait for me when I hold my peace, and they shall look upon me when I speak; and if I talk much, they shall lay their hands on their mouth.

Moreover, by the means of her I shall have immortality: and shall leave behind me an everlasting memory to them that come after me.

I shall set the people in order: and nations shall be subject to me.

Terrible kings hearing, shall be afraid of me: among the multitude I shall be found good, and valiant in war.

When I go into my house, I shall repose myself with her: for her conversation hath no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness, but joy and gladness.

Thinking these things with myself, and pondering them in my heart, that to be allied to wisdom is immortality,

And that there is great delight in her friendship, and inexhaustible riches in the works of her hands, and in the exercise of conference with her, wisdom, and glory in the communication of her words: I went about seeking, that I might take her to myself.

And I was a witty child, and had received a good soul.

And whereas I was more good, I came to a body undefiled.

And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, and this also was a point of wisdom, to know whose gift it was, I went to the Lord, and besought him, and said with my whole heart:

God of my fathers, and Lord of mercy, who hast made all things with thy word,

And by thy wisdom hast appointed man, that he should have dominion over the creature that was made by thee,

That he should order the world according to equity and justice, and execute justice with an upright heart:

Give me wisdom, that sitteth by thy throne, and cast me not off from among thy children:

For I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid, a weak man, and of short time, and falling short of the understanding of judgment and laws.

For if one be perfect among the children of men, yet if thy wisdom be not with him, he shall be nothing regarded.

Thou hast chosen me to be king of thy people, and a judge of thy sons and daughters:

And hast commanded me to build a temple on thy holy mount, and an altar in the city of thy dwelling place, a resemblance of thy holy tabernacle, which thou hast prepared from the beginning:

And thy wisdom with thee, which knoweth thy works, which then also was present when thou madest the world, and knew what was agreeable to thy eyes, and what was right in thy commandments.

Send her out of thy holy heaven, and from the throne of thy majesty, that she may be with me, and may labour with me, that I may know what is acceptable with thee:

For she knoweth and understandeth all things, and shall lead me soberly in my works, and shall preserve me by her power.

So shall my works be acceptable, and I shall govern thy people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne of my father.

For who among men is he that can know the counsel of God? or who can think what the will of God is?

For the thoughts of mortal men are fearful, and our counsels uncertain.

For the corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth down the mind that museth upon many things.

And hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon earth: and with labour do we find the things that are before us. But the things that are in heaven, who shall search out?

And who shall know thy thought, except thou give wisdom, and send thy holy Spirit from above:

And so the ways of them that are upon earth may be corrected, and men may learn the things that please thee?

For by wisdom they were healed, whosoever have pleased thee, O Lord, from the beginning.

She preserved him, that was first formed by God, the father of the world, when he was created alone,

And she brought him out of his sin, and gave him power to govern all things.

But when the unjust went away from her in his anger, he perished by the fury wherewith he murdered his brother.

For whose cause, when water destroyed the earth, wisdom healed it again, directing the course of the just by contemptible wood.

Moreover, when the nations had conspired together to consent to wickedness, she knew the just, and preserved him without blame to God, and kept him strong against the compassion for his son.

She delivered the just man, who fled from the wicked that were perishing, when the fire came down upon Pentapolis:

Whose land, for a testimony of their wickedness, is desolate, and smoketh to this day, and the trees bear fruits that ripen not, and a standing pillar of salt is a monument of an incredulous soul.

For regarding not wisdom, they did not only slip in this, that they were ignorant of good things; but they left also unto men a memorial of their folly, so that in the things in which they sinned, they could not so much as lie hid.

But wisdom hath delivered from sorrow them that attend upon her.

She conducted the just, when he fled from his brother’s wrath, through the right ways, and shewed him the kingdom of God, and gave him the knowledge of the holy things, made him honourable in his labours, and accomplished his labours.

In the deceit of them that overreached him, she stood by him, and made him honourable.

She kept him safe from his enemies, and she defended him from seducers, and gave him a strong conflict, that he might overcome, and know that wisdom is mightier than all.

She forsook not the just when he was sold, but delivered him from sinners: she went down with him into the pit.

And in bands she left him not, till she brought him the sceptre of the kingdom, and power against those that oppressed him: and shewed them to be liars that had accused him, and gave him everlasting glory.

She delivered the just people, and blameless seed, from the nations that oppressed them.

She entered into the soul of the servant of God and stood against dreadful kings in wonders and signs.

And she rendered to the just the wages of their labours, and conducted them in a wonderful way: and she was to them for a covert by day, and for the light of stars by night:

And she brought them through the Red Sea, and carried them over through a great water.

But their enemies she drowned in the sea, and from the depth of hell she brought them out. Therefore the just took the spoils of the wicked.

And they sung to thy holy name, O Lord, and they praised with one accord thy victorious hand.

For wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of infants eloquent.