Douay Rheims Original ↷
Wisdom of Solomon 4 📜 📕 ↷
Chaste Compared with Adulterous
1 HOW beautiful is the chaste generation with glory! For the memory thereof is immortal: because it is known both with God and with men.📜💬📚
2 When it is present, they imitate it, and they desire it when it hath withdrawn it-self, and it triumpheth crowned for ever, winning the reward of undefiled conflicts.📜💬📚
3 But the multitude of the impious that hath many children, shall not be profitable, and bastard plants shall not take deep root, nor lay sure foundation.📜💬📚
4 And if in the boughs for a time they shall spring being weakly set, they shall be moved of the wind, and by the vehemency of the winds they shall be rooted out.📜💬📚
5 For the unperfect boughs shall be broken, and their fruits shall be unprofitable, and sour to eat, and meet for nothing.📜💬📚
6 For the children that be born of wicked sleeps, are witnesses of wickedness against the parents in their examination.📜💬📚
7 But the just if he be prevented with death, shall be in a place of refreshing.📜💬📚
Venerable from Understanding Not Age
8 For venerable old age is not that of long time, nor accounted by the number of years: but the understanding of a man are grey hairs:📜💬📚
9 and an immaculate life is old age.📜💬📚
10 Pleasing God he is made beloved, and living among sinners he was translated.📜💬📚
11 He was taken away lest malice should change his understanding, or lest any guile might deceive his soul.📜💬📚
12 For the bewitching of vanity obscureth good things, and the inconstancy of concupiscence perverteth the understanding that is without malice.📜💬📚
13 Being consummate in short space he fulfilled much time:📜💬📚
14 for his soul pleased God: for this cause he hastened to bring him out of the midst of iniquities: but the peoples that are seeing, and not understanding, nor putting such things in their hearts:📜💬📚
15 that the grace of God, and mercy is toward his saints, and respect toward his elect.📜💬📚
Dead Just Condemn Living Wicked
16 But the just dead condemneth the impious alive, and youth soon ended, the long life of the unjust.📜💬📚
17 For they shall see the end of the wise, and shall not understand what God hath thought of him, and why our Lord hath fenced him.📜💬📚
18 For they shall see and shall contemn him: but our Lord shall laugh them to scorn,📜💬📚
19 and they shall fall after this without honour, and in contumely among the dead for ever: because he shall break them puffed up without voice, and shall remove them from the foundations, and they shall be made desolate unto the highest degree: and shall be mourning, and the memory of them shall perish.📜💬📚
20 They shall come fearful in cogitation of their sins, and their iniquities on the contrary shall convince them.📜💬📚
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