7:1 I too am mortal, like everyone else, descended from the first being formed out of the earth. I was molded into flesh inside the womb of my mother,
7:2 solidified in blood within a period of ten months from the seed of a man and the pleasure that accompanies marriage.
7:3 And I too, when I was born, began to breathe the common air and fell upon an earth equal for everyone; the first sound I uttered was a cry, as is true of all.
7:4 I was nurtured in swaddling clothes and surrounded with care.
7:6 for there is only one way of entering life, and only one way of leaving it.
7:7 Therefore, I prayed, and understanding was given to me; I pleaded, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.
7:8 I preferred her to scepters and thrones, and I accounted riches as nothing compared with her.
7:9 Neither did I reckon any precious stone to be her equal, because, compared with her, all gold is but a few grains of sand, and beside her, silver is accounted as clay.
7:10 I loved her more than health and beauty and preferred her to the light because her radiance is unceasing.
7:11 Together with her, all good things came to me, and in her hands are countless riches.
7:12 And I delighted in them all, since Wisdom was their source, although I did not realize at the time that she was their mother.
7:13 I pass on ungrudgingly what I learned about her with an open mind; her riches I do not conceal.
7:14 For she is an inexhaustible treasure for all; those who acquire her achieve friendship with God, commended to him by the gifts that derive from her instruction.
7:15 May God grant me the ability to speak according to understanding and to express thoughts worthy of the gifts I have received, since it is he that guides Wisdom and directs the wise.
7:16 For in his hand are both we and our words, as are also all understanding and skill in crafts.
7:17 It was he who granted me accurate knowledge of what exists, so that I might understand the constitution of the world and the operation of its elements:
7:18 the beginning and the end and the midpoint of times, the alternation of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,
7:19 the cycles of the year and the positions of the stars,
7:20 the natures of animals and the dispositions of wild beasts, the powers of spirits and the thoughts of men, the varieties of plants and the properties of roots.
7:21 All that was hidden and all that was manifest I learned,
7:22 for Wisdom, who fashioned all things, instructed me. Within Wisdom is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unstained, certain, invulnerable, benevolent, shrewd, irresistible, beneficent,
7:23 kindly, steadfast, secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-surveying, and penetrating all spirits that are intelligent, pure, and very subtle.
7:24 For Wisdom has more mobility than any motion; she is so pure that she pervades and penetrates all things.
7:25 She is the breath of the might of God and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore, nothing that is defiled can enter into her.
7:26 For she is the reflection of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the active power of God and the image of his goodness.
7:27 Although she is only one, she can do all things; while unchanging herself, she makes all things new. Generation after generation she enters into holy souls, and turns them into friends of God and prophets.
7:28 For God loves nothing more than one who dwells with Wisdom.
7:29 She is more beautiful than the sun and outshines every constellation of the stars. In comparison with the light she is far superior,
7:30 for light is supplanted by the night, but evil cannot overpower Wisdom.
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