15 — Wisdom

1But thou, our God, art gracious and true, patient, and ordering all things in mercy.Ma tu Dio nostro, tu se' benigno, e verace, e paziente, e tutto governi con misericordia:BVT ô thou our God, art sweete, and true, patient, and disposing al thinges in mercie.Tu autem, Deus noster, suavis et verus es, / patiens, et in misericordia disponens omnia. 2For if we sin, we are thine, knowing thy greatness: and if we sin not, we know that we are counted with thee.Imperocché se noi peccheremo, siamo tuoi, noi che conosciamo la tua grandezza, e se non peccheremo, sappiamo che tu tieni conto di noi:For if we sinne, we are thine, knowing thy greatnes: and if we sinne not we know that we are counted with thee.Etenim si peccaverimus, tui sumus, / scientes magnitudinem tuam; / et si non peccaverimus, / scimus quoniam apud te sumus computati. 3For to know thee is perfect justice: and to know thy justice, and thy power, is the root of immortality.Perocché il conoscer te è la perfezione della giustizia, e il conoscere la giustizia, e potenza tua, è radice di immortalità.For to know thee, is absolute iustice: and to know iustice, and thy powre, is the roote of immortalitie.Nosse enim te, consummata justitia est; / et scire justitiam et virtutem tuam, radix est immortalitatis. 4For the invention of mischievous men hath not deceived us, nor the shadow of a picture, a fruitless labour, a graven figure with divers colours,Conciossiachè non ha indotti noi in errore la invenzione maligna degli uomini, né il vano artifizio di un'ombreggiata pittura, od una immagine co' vari colori rappresentata,For mens inuention of euil art hath not brought vs into errour, nor the shadow of a picture being a labour without fruite, a shape grauen by diuerse colours,Non enim in errorem induxit nos / hominum malæ artis excogitatio, / nec umbra picturæ labor sine fructu, / effigies sculpta per varios colores: 5The sight whereof enticeth the fool to lust after it, and he loveth the lifeless figure of a dead image.Di cui la vista sveglia la cupidità dello stolto, che ama la avvenenza di un morto ritratto senz'anima.the sight wherof geueth concupiscence to the sensles, and and he loueth the shape without life of a deade image.cujus aspectus insensato dat concupiscentiam, / et diligit mortuæ imaginis effigiem sine anima. 6The 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.Quelli, che amano il male, sono degni di avere speranza in cose tali, e quelli pur, che lo fanno, e que', che le amano, e quelli, che le onorano.The louers of euils, are worthie to haue their hope in such thinges, both they that make them, and that loue, and that worshippe them.Malorum amatores digni sunt qui spem habeant in talibus, / et qui faciunt illos, et qui diligunt, et qui colunt.

7The 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.Similmente un vasaio maneggiando la molle creta con molta fatica ne forma per nostro uso de' vasi di ogni sorte, e' della medesima pasta ne fa de' vasi per usi onesti, e similmente de' vasi per usi contrari: e dell'uso, a cui debban servire que' vasi ne è arbitro il vasaio;Yea and the potter pressing softe earth, with labour fashioneth euerie vessel to our vses, and of the same clay maketh the vessels, that are cleane to vse, and in like maner them, that are contrarie to these: but what the vse of these vessels is, the potter is iudge.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. 8And 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.E con vana fatica della stessa pasta né forma un Dio, egli, che poco prima fu di terra creato, e di qui a poco ritorna donde fu tratto, allorché gli sarà ridomandata quell'anima, di cui è debitore.And with vaine labour he fashioneth a god of the same clay: he which a litle before was made of earth, and a litle after returneth backe whence he was taken, being exacted the debte of the life which he had.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. 9But 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.Ma egli non pensa alla fatica, che soffre, né alla brevità di sua vita, ma fa a picca cogli orefici, e argentieri, ed imita anche i bronzisti, e pone la sua gloria nel formare cose inutili,But his care is, not because he shal labour, nor because he hath a short life, but he contendeth with goldsmithes and siluer smithes: yea and he imitateth the copper smithes, and counteth it a glorie, because he maketh vaine thinges.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. 10For his heart is ashes, and his hope vain earth and his life more base than clay:Perché il suo cuore è cenere, e la speranza di lui è men pregevole della terra, e la vita di lui è più vile del fango:For his hart is ashes, and his hope vaine earth, and his life viler then clay:Cinis est enim cor ejus, / et terra supervacua spes illius, / et luto vilior vita ejus:

11Forasmuch as he knew not his maker, and him that inspired into him the soul that worketh, and that breathed into him a living spirit.Mentre egli non conosce colui, che lo ha formato, e gli ispirò quell'anima, mediante la quale egli opera, e soffo in lui lo spirito di vita.because he was ignorant who made him, and who inspired into him the soule which worketh, and who breathed into him the vital spirite.quoniam ignoravit qui se finxit, / et qui inspiravit illi animam quæ operatur, / et qui insufflavit ei spiritum vitalem. 12Yea, 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.Costoro anzi han creduto, che sia un giuoco la nostra vita, e che tutta la nostra occupazione abbia da essere pel guadagno, e che convenga cercar di far roba anche col malfare:Yea and they estemed our life to be a pastime, and the conuersation of life made for a gayne, & that we must get euerie way euen of euil.Sed et æstimaverunt ludum esse vitam nostram, / et conversationem vitæ compositam ad lucrum, / et oportere undecumque etiam ex malo acquirere. 13For that man knoweth that he offendeth above all others, who of earthly matter maketh brittle vessels, and graven gods.Perocché ben sa, che più di tutti egli pecca colui, che di fragil materia forma de' vasi, e de' simolacri.For he knoweth that he offendeth aboue al men, which of the matter of earth fashioneth frayle vessels, and sculptils.Hic enim scit se super omnes delinquere, / qui ex terræ materia fragilia vasa et sculptilia fingit. 14But all the enemies of thy people that hold them in subjection, are foolish, and unhappy, and proud beyond measure:Ma son tutti stolti, e sgraziati, e superbi più che anima nata i nemici del popol tuo, i quali lo dominano,For al the vnwise, and vnhappie aboue measure of the soule, proude are the enemies of thy people, and rule ouer them:Omnes enim insipientes, / et infelices supra modum animæ superbi, / sunt inimici populi tui, et imperantes illi: 15For 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.Perché eglino credono dei tutti gli idoli delle genti, i quali non hanno l'uso degli occhi per vedere, né delle narici per respirare, né degli orecchi per udire, né delle dita delle mani per toccare, e i piedi stessi hanno incapaci di muoversi:because they haue estemed al the idols of the nations for goddes, which neither haue vse of eies to see, nor nosthrels to take breath, nor eares to heare, nor fingers of the hands to handle, yea and their feete are slow to walke.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.

16For man made them: and he that borroweth his own breath, fashioned them. For no man can make a god like to himself.Perocché un uomo li fece, e formolli uno, a cui fu dato in prestito lo spirito: e nissun uomo potrà mai fare un Dio simile a se;For a man made them: and he that borowed breath, the same fashioned them. For no man can make God like to himself.Homo enim fecit illos; / et qui spiritum mutuatus est, is finxit illos. / Nemo enim sibi similem homo poterit deum fingere. 17For 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.Ed essendo egli mortale colle inique sue mani forma un morto; onde egli è da più di quelli, che adora, perchè egli benché mortale ha ottenuto la vita, ma quelli non mai.For wheras himself is mortal, he maketh a dead thing with his wicked handes For he is better then they, whom he worshippeth, because he in deede liued, though he were mortal, but they neuer.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. 18Moreover, they worship also the vilest creatures: but things without sense, compared to these, are worse than they.Ma essi rendono culto ai più odiosi i animali, i quali paragonati coll'altre bestie prive di sentimento son di queste peggiori.But they worship also most miserable beasts: for the senslesse thinges compared to these, are worse then they.Sed et animalia miserrima colunt; / insensata enim comparata his, illis sunt deteriora. 19Yea, neither by sight can any man see good of these beasts. But they have fled from the praise of God, and from his blessing.Né alcuno può nell'aspetto istesso di quegli animali osservare alcun bene, come quelli, che han perduta l'approvazione, e la benedizione di Dio.Yea neither by sight can any man see good of these beasts. But they haue fled from the prayse of God, and from his blessing.Sed nec aspectu aliquis ex his animalibus bona potest conspicere: / effugerunt autem Dei laudem et benedictionem ejus.