The Use of Wood
Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 1. Again, someone getting ready for a voyage And about to sail through wild waves Cries out loud to a piece of wood More fragile than the ship that carries him. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 2. For it was desire for gain that contrived that boat, And wisdom was the craftsman who built it; Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 3. But Your providence, O Father, governs its course, Because You have given it a path in the sea And a safe track in the waves, Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 4. Showing that You can save from every danger, And that even without skill one may embark upon the sea. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 5. For You do not will that the works of Your wisdom be useless; Therefore, men trust their lives even to the smallest piece of wood, And passing through the waves on a ship They are brought safely through. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 6. For even in the beginning, when arrogant giants perished, The hope of the world took refuge in a boat, And piloted by Your hand it left to the world the seed of a family. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 7. For the wood was blessed through which righteousness comes. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 8. But what was made by human hands itself is accursed, And so is he who made it— He because he made it, And the perishable thing because it was called a god. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 9. For equally hateful to God are the ungodly man and his ungodliness. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 10. For what was done will be punished along with him who did it. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 11. Therefore there shall also be a visitation upon the idols of the nations, Because, though the wood was part of God's creation, It was made into an abomination And became a stumbling-block for the souls of men And a trap for the feet of fools. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 12. For the invention of idols was the beginning of fornication, And the conception of them the corruption of life, Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 13. For neither were they from the beginning Nor shall they be forever. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 14. For by the vainglory of mankind they entered the world, And therefore their speedy end has been planned. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 15. For a father consumed with untimely grief When his child was soon taken from him Made an image of the once-dead human being And honored him now as a god, And handed down to those under him secret mysteries and initiations. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 16. Then the ungodly custom, strengthened by time, was kept as a law, And at the command of tyrants carved images were worshiped. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 17. When men could not honor a tyrant before his face Because he lived far away, They imagined his face from a distance And made a visible image of the honored king, That by their zeal they might flatter the one absent as though present. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 18. Then the ambition of the craftsman encouraged Even those who did not know the king to increase their worship. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 19. For wishing perhaps to please the one who ruled over him, He skillfully forced the likeness into a more beautiful form, Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 20. And the multitude, attracted by the popularity of his work, Now considered him as an object of worship Whom a short time before they honored as a man. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 21. But this became a trap for their life, Because men, in bondage either to calamity or to kingly power, Conferred on stones and wood a name not shared with another.
Idolatry Brings Evil
Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 22. Furthermore, it was not enough for them To be deceived about the knowledge of God, But they live in a great conflict of ignorance, And they call such evils peace. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 23. For they either hold child-murdering rites of initiation, Or celebrate secret mysteries, Or engage in the frantic revelry of special customs. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 24. Moreover, they keep neither life nor marriages pure, But one either kills another in ambush, Or one causes another grief when he corrupts his marriage. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 25. Everything is mixed together: Blood and murder, theft and treachery, Depravity, unfaithfulness, tumult, perjury, Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 26. Confusion over what is good, ingratitude, corruption of family, Breakup of marriages, disorder, adultery, and debauchery. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 27. For the worship of idols not to be named Is the beginning, cause, and end of every evil. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 28. For either they are driven to a frenzy in their celebrations, Or prophesy lies, Or live unrighteously, or readily swear falsely; Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 29. For since they trust in lifeless idols, They swear with wrong motives and expect to suffer no harm. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 30. But justice will catch up with them on two counts: Because they thought wrongly about God in their devotion to idols, And by treating holiness with contempt They swore unjustly in deceit. Wisdom of Solomon 14, verse 31. For it is not the power of making oaths, But the punishment of those who sin That always prosecutes the transgression of the unrighteous.