Wisdom Chapter 15

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 But thou, our God, art gracious and true, patient, and ordering all things in mercy.
2 For if we sin, we are thine, knowing thy greatness: and if we sin not, we know that we are counted with thee.
3 For to know thee is perfect justice: and to know thy justice, and thy power, is the root of immortality.
4 For the invention of mischievous men hath not deceived us, nor the shadow of a picture, a fruitless labour, a graven figure with divers colours,
5 The sight whereof enticeth the fool to lust after it, and he loveth the lifeless figure of a dead image.
6 The lovers of evil things deserve to have no better things to trust in, both they that make them, and they that love them, and they that worship them.

7 The potter also tempering soft earth, with labour fashioneth every vessel for our service, and of the same clay he maketh both vessels that are for clean uses, and likewise such as serve to the contrary: but what is the use of these vessels, the potter is the judge.
8 And of the same clay by a vain labour he maketh a god: he who a little before was made of earth himself, and a little after returneth to the same out of which he was taken, when his life, which was lent him, shall be called for again.
9 But his care is, not that he shall labour, nor that his life is short, but he striveth with the goldsmiths and silversmiths: and he endeavoureth to do like the workers in brass, and counteth it a glory to make vain things.
10 For his heart is ashes, and his hope vain earth and his life more base than clay:
11 Forasmuch as he knew not his maker, and him that inspired into him the soul that worketh, and that breathed into him a living spirit.
12 Yea, and they have counted our life a pastime and the business of life to be gain, and that we must be getting every way, even out of evil.
13 For that man knoweth that he offendeth above all others, who of earthly matter maketh brittle vessels, and graven gods.
14 But all the enemies of thy people that hold them in subjection, are foolish, and unhappy, and proud beyond measure:
15 For they have esteemed all the idols of the heathens for gods, which neither have the use of eyes to see, nor noses to draw breath, nor ears to hear, nor fingers of hands to handle, and as for their feet, they are slow to walk.
16 For man made them: and he that borroweth his own breath, fashioned them. For no man can make a god like to himself.
17 For being mortal himself, he formeth a dead thing with his wicked hands. For he is better than they whom he worshippeth, because he indeed hath lived, though he were mortal, but they never.

18 Moreover, they worship also the vilest creatures: but things without sense, compared to these, are worse than they.
19 Yea, neither by sight can any man see good of these beasts. But they have fled from the praise of God, and from his blessing.

Old Testament first published 1609 by the English College at Douay
New Testament first published 1582 by the English College at Rheims
Revised and Annotated 1749 by Bishop Richard Challoner
Imprimatur. +James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, September 1, 1899

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Tu autem, Deus noster, suavis et verus es,
patiens, et in misericordia disponens omnia.
2 Etenim si peccaverimus, tui sumus,
scientes magnitudinem tuam;
et si non peccaverimus,
scimus quoniam apud te sumus computati.
3 Nosse enim te, consummata justitia est;
et scire justitiam et virtutem tuam, radix est immortalitatis.
4 Non enim in errorem induxit nos
hominum malæ artis excogitatio,
nec umbra picturæ labor sine fructu,
effigies sculpta per varios colores:
5 cujus aspectus insensato dat concupiscentiam,
et diligit mortuæ imaginis effigiem sine anima.
6 Malorum amatores digni sunt qui spem habeant in talibus,
et qui faciunt illos, et qui diligunt, et qui colunt.

7 Sed et figulus mollem terram premens,
laboriose fingit ad usus nostros unumquodque vas;
et de eodem luto fingit quæ munda sunt in usum vasa,
et similiter quæ his sunt contraria:
horum autem vasorum quis sit usus,
judex est figulus.
8 Et cum labore vano deum fingit de eodem luto
ille qui paulo ante de terra factus fuerat,
et post pusillum reducit se unde acceptus est,
repetitus animæ debitum quam habebat.
9 Sed cura est illi non quia laboraturus est,
nec quoniam brevis illi vita est:
sed concertatur aurificibus et argentariis;
sed et ærarios imitatur,
et gloriam præfert, quoniam res supervacuas fingit.
10 Cinis est enim cor ejus,
et terra supervacua spes illius,
et luto vilior vita ejus:
11 quoniam ignoravit qui se finxit,
et qui inspiravit illi animam quæ operatur,
et qui insufflavit ei spiritum vitalem.
12 Sed et æstimaverunt ludum esse vitam nostram,
et conversationem vitæ compositam ad lucrum,
et oportere undecumque etiam ex malo acquirere.
13 Hic enim scit se super omnes delinquere,
qui ex terræ materia fragilia vasa et sculptilia fingit.
14 Omnes enim insipientes,
et infelices supra modum animæ superbi,
sunt inimici populi tui, et imperantes illi:
15 quoniam omnia idola nationum deos æstimaverunt,
quibus neque oculorum usus est ad videndum,
neque nares ad percipiendum spiritum,
neque aures ad audiendum,
neque digiti manuum ad tractandum,
sed et pedes eorum pigri ad ambulandum.
16 Homo enim fecit illos;
et qui spiritum mutuatus est, is finxit illos.
Nemo enim sibi similem homo poterit deum fingere.
17 Cum enim sit mortalis, mortuum fingit manibus iniquis.
Melior enim est ipse his quos colit,
quia ipse quidem vixit, cum esset mortalis, illi autem numquam.

18 Sed et animalia miserrima colunt;
insensata enim comparata his, illis sunt deteriora.
19 Sed nec aspectu aliquis ex his animalibus bona potest conspicere:
effugerunt autem Dei laudem et benedictionem ejus.

Transcribed as part of the Clementine Vulgate Project
Please notify the original transcriber (little.mouth@soon.com) of any errors in this Latin edition

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