Chapter 8

¹ [Wisdom] reacheth from one end to another mightily;

ΔΙΑΤΕΙΝΕΙ δὲ ἀπὸ πέρατος εἰς πέρας εὐρώστως καὶ διοικεῖ τὰ πάντα χρηστῶς.

² I loved her, and sought [her] out from my youth,

Ταύτην ἐφίλησα καὶ ἐξεζήτησα ἐκ νεότητός μου καὶ ἐζήτησα νύμφην ἀγαγέσθαι ἐμαυτῷ καὶ ἐραστὴς ἐγενόμην τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς.

³ In that she is conversant with God, she magnifieth her nobility:

εὐγένειαν δοξάζει συμβίωσιν Θεοῦ ἔχουσα, καὶ ὁ πάντων δεσπότης ἠγάπησεν αὐτήν·

⁴ For she is privy to the mysteries of the knowledge of God,

μύστις γὰρ ἐστι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιστήμης καὶ αἱρετὶς τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ.

⁵ If riches be a possession to be desired in this life;

εἰ δὲ πλοῦτός ἐστιν ἐπιθυμητὸν κτῆμα ἐν βίῳ, τί σοφίας πλουσιώτερον τῆς τὰ πάντα ἐργαζομένης;

⁶ And if prudence work;

εἰ δὲ φρόνησις ἐργάζεται, τίς αὐτῆς τῶν ὄντων μᾶλλόν ἐστι τεχνῖτις;

⁷ And if a man love righteousness,

καὶ εἰ δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπᾷ τις, οἱ πόνοι ταύτης εἰσὶν ἀρεταί· σωφροσύνην γὰρ καὶ φρόνησιν ἐκδιδάσκει, δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀνδρείαν, ὧν χρησιμώτερον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν βίῳ ἀνθρώποις.

⁸ If a man desire much experience,

εἰ δὲ καὶ πολυπειρίαν ποθεῖ τις, οἶδε τὰ ἀρχαῖα καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα εἰκάζειν, ἐπίσταται στροφὰς λόγων καὶ λύσεις αἰνιγμάτων, σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα προγινώσκει καὶ ἐκβάσεις καιρῶν καὶ χρόνων.

⁹ Therefore I purposed to take her to me to live with me,

ἔκρινα τοίνυν ταύτην ἀγαγέσθαι πρὸς συμβίωσιν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἔσται μοι σύμβουλος ἀγαθῶν καὶ παραίνεσις φροντίδων καὶ λύπης.

¹⁰ For her sake I shall have estimation among the multitude,

ἕξω δι᾿ αὐτὴν δόξαν ἐν ὄχλοις καὶ τιμὴν παρὰ πρεσβυτέροις ὁ νέος·

¹¹ I shall be found of a quick conceit in judgment,

ὀξὺς εὑρεθήσομαι ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἐν ὄψει δυναστῶν θαυμασθήσομαι·

¹² When I hold my tongue, they shall bide my leisure,

σιγῶντά με περιμενοῦσι καὶ φθεγγομένῳ προσέξουσι καὶ λαλοῦντος ἐπί πλεῖον χεῖρα ἐπιθήσουσιν ἐπὶ στόμα αὐτῶν.

¹³ Moreover by the means of her I shall obtain immortality,

ἕξω δι᾿ αὐτὴν ἀθανασίαν καὶ μνήμην αἰώνιον τοῖς μετ᾿ ἐμὲ ἀπολείψω.

¹⁴ I shall set the people in order,

διοικήσω λαούς, καὶ ἔθνη ὑποταγήσεταί μοι·

¹⁵ Horrible tyrants shall be afraid when they do but hear of me;

φοβηθήσονταί με ἀκούσαντες τύραννοι φρικτοί, ἐν πλήθει φανοῦμαι ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἐν πολέμῳ ἀνδρεῖος.

¹⁶ After I am come into my house, I will repose myself with her:

εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸν οἶκόν μου προσαναπαύσομαι αὐτῇ· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει πικρίαν ἡ συναναστροφή αὐτῆς, οὐδὲ ὀδύνην ἡ συμβίωσις αὐτῆς, ἀλλὰ εὐφροσύνην καὶ χαράν.

¹⁷ Now when I considered these things in myself,

ταῦτα λογισάμενος ἐν ἐμαυτῷ καὶ φροντίσας ἐν καρδίᾳ μου ὅτι ἐστιν ἀθανασία ἐν συγγενείᾳ σοφίας

¹⁸ And great pleasure it is to have her friendship;

καὶ ἐν φιλίᾳ αὐτῆς τέρψις ἀγαθὴ καὶ ἐν πόνοις χειρῶν αὐτῆς πλοῦτος ἀνεκλιπὴς καὶ ἐν συγγυμνασίᾳ ὁμιλίας αὐτῆς φρόνησις καὶ εὔκλεια ἐν κοινωνίᾳ λόγων αὐτῆς, περιῃ£ειν ζητῶν ὅπως λάβω αὐτὴν εἰς ἐμαυτόν.

¹⁹ For I was a witty child,

παῖς δὲ ἤμην εὐφυὴς ψυχῆς τε ἔλαχον ἀγαθῆς,

²⁰ Yea rather, being good, I came into a body undefiled.

μᾶλλον δὲ ἀγαθὸς ὢν ἦλθον εἰς σῶμα ἀμίαντον.

²¹ Nevertheless, when I perceived that I could not otherwise obtain her, except God gave her me;

γνοὺς δὲ ὅτι οὐκ ἄλλως ἔσομαι ἐγκρατής, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ Θεὸς δῷ καὶ τοῦτο δ᾿ ἦν φρονήσεως τὸ εἰδέναι τίνος ἡ χάρις ἐνέτυχον τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐδεήθην αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπον ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας μου.