Original Douay Rheims Bible (1582 & 1610)

The Booke of Wisdom


1. SHE kept him, that was first made of God father of the world, when he was created alone,
2. and she brought him out of his sinne, and gaue him powre to conteyne al thinges.
3. After the vniust departed in his anger from her, by the furie of brothers manslaughter perished.
4. For whose cause, when water destroyed the earth, wisdom healed it againe, gouerning the iust by contemptible wood.
5. She euen in the consent of wickednes, when the nations had confederated themselues, knew the iust, and preserued him without blame to God, and in his sonnes mercie kept the strong.
6. She deliuered the iust, fleing from impious that perished, when the fyre came downe vpon Pentapolis:
7. to whom for a witnes of their wickednes the desert land standeth smoking, and trees hauing fruites at vncertain season; and the memorie of an incredulous soule a standing piller of salt.
8. For pretermitting wisdom they did not only slippe in this, that they were ignorant of good thinges, but they left also vnto men a memorie of their foolishnes, that in those thinges, in which they sinned in, they could not be hid neither.
9. But wisdom hath deliuered them, that obserued her from sorowes.
10. And the iust fleing his brothers wrath, she conducted by the right wayes, and shewed him the kingdom of God, and gaue him the knowledge of the holie, did honest him in labours, and accomplised his labours.
11. In the fraude of the circumuenters of him she was present with him, and made him honorable.
12. She kept him from the enemies, and from seducers she defended him, and from seducers she defended him, and gaue him a strong fight, that he might ouercome, and know that wisdom is mightier then al.
13. She forsooke not the iust being sold, but deliuered him from sinners: and she went downe with him into the pitte,
14. and in bands least him not, til she brought him the scepter of a kingdome, and might against them, that oppressed him: and shewed them to be lyers, that spotted him, and gaue him eternal glorie.
15. The iust people, and seede without blame she deliuered from the nations, that oppressed them.
16. She entered into the soule of the seruant of God, and stood against dreadful kinges in wonders and signes.
17. And she rendred to the iust the hope of their labours, and conducted them in a meruelous way: and she was vnto them for a couert in the day, and for the light of starres by night:
18. and she transported them through the Redsea, and caried them ouer through a great water.
19. But their enemies she drowned in the sea, and from the depth of hel she brought them out. Therfore the iust tooke the spoyles of the impious,
20. and they sang thy holie name o Lord, and thy victorious hand they praised together:
21. because wisdom hath opened the mouth of the dumme, and the tongues of infants she hath made eloquent.