Sabiduría 13

1Vanidad son ciertamente todos los hombres en quienes no se halla la ciencia de Dios, y que por los bienes visibles no llegaron a conocer a Aquel que es; ni considerando las obras, reconocieron al artífice de ellas;

2sino que se figuraron ser el fuego, o el viento, o el aire ligero o las constelaciones de los astros, o la gran mole de las aguas, o el sol y la luna los dioses gobernadores del mundo.

3Y si encantados de la belleza de tales cosas las imaginaron dioses, debieron conocer cuánto más hermoso es el dueño de ellas; pues el que creó todas estas cosas es el autor de la hermosura.

4O si se maravillaron de la virtud e influencia de estas creaturas, entender debían por ellas que Aquel que las creó, las sobrepuja en poder.

5Pues de la grandeza y hermosura de las creaturas, se puede a las claras venir al conocimiento de su Creador.

6Mas los tales son menos reprensibles; porque yerran tal vez buscando a Dios y esforzándose por encontrarle,

7por cuanto le buscan discurriendo sobre sus obras, de las cuales quedan como encantados por la belleza que ven en ellas;

8aunque ni tampoco a estos se les debe perdonar.

9Porque si pudieron llegar por su sabiduría a conocer el mundo, ¿cómo no echaron de ver más fácilmente al Señor del mismo?

10Pero, malaventurados son, y fundan en cosas muertas sus esperanzas, aquellos que llamaron dioses a las obras de la mano de los hombres, al oro y a la plata, labrados con arte, o a las figuras de los animales, o a una piedra inútil, obra de mano antigua.

11Como cuando un artífice hábil corta del bosque un árbol derecho, y diestramente le quita toda la corteza, y valiéndose de su arte fabrica mañosamente un mueble a propósito para el servicio de la vida,

12y los restos de aquella obra los recoge para cocer la comida;

13y a uno de estos restos, que para nada sirve, por estar torcido y lleno de nudos, lo cincela diligentemente en ratos desocupados, y con la pericia de su arte va dándole figura, hasta hacer de él la imagen de un hombre,

14o darle la semejanza de un animal, pintándole de bermellón, y poniéndole la encarnadura, y cubriéndole todas las manchas que hay en él;

15y haciéndole un nicho conveniente, la coloca en la pared, y la afirma con clavos,

16para que no caiga al suelo, usando con ella de esta precaución, porque sabe que no puede valerse por sí misma, puesto que es una mera imagen, la cual ha menester ayuda.

17Y sin embargo, ofreciéndole votos, le consulta sobre su hacienda, sobre sus hijos, y sobre sus matrimonios. No tiene vergüenza de hablar con aquello que carece de vida.

18Antes bien suplica por la salud a un inválido, y ruega por la vida a un muerto, e invoca en su ayuda a un inútil.

19Para hacer un viaje se encomienda a quien no puede menearse, y para sus ganancias y labores, y el buen éxito de todas las cosas hace oración al que es inútil para todo.

1[Vani autem sunt omnes homines in quibus non subest scientia Dei; et de his quæ videntur bona, non potuerunt intelligere eum qui est, neque operibus attendentes agnoverunt quis esset artifex:

2sed aut ignem, aut spiritum, aut citatum aërem, aut gyrum stellarum, aut nimiam aquam, aut solem et lunam, rectores orbis terrarum deos putaverunt.

3Quorum si specie delectati, deos putaverunt, sciant quanto his dominator eorum speciosior est: speciei enim generator hæc omnia constituit.

4Aut si virtutem et opera eorum mirati sunt, intelligant ab illis quoniam qui hæc fecit fortior est illis:

5a magnitudine enim speciei et creaturæ cognoscibiliter poterit creator horum videri.

6Sed tamen adhuc in his minor est querela; et hi enim fortasse errant, Deum quærentes, et volentes invenire.

7Etenim cum in operibus illius conversentur inquirunt, et persuasum habent quoniam bona sunt quæ videntur.

8Iterum autem nec his debet ignosci.

9Si enim tantum potuerunt scire ut possent æstimare sæculum, quomodo hujus Dominum non facilius invenerunt?]

10[Infelices autem sunt, et inter mortuos spes illorum est, qui appellaverunt deos opera manuum hominum: aurum et argentum, artis inventionem, et similitudines animalium, aut lapidem inutilem, opus manus antiquæ.

11Aut si quis artifex faber de silva lignum rectum secuerit, et hujus docte eradat omnem corticem, et arte sua usus diligenter fabricet vas utile in conversationem vitæ;

12reliquiis autem ejus operis ad præparationem escæ abutatur,

13et reliquum horum quod ad nullos usus facit, lignum curvum et vorticibus plenum sculpat diligenter per vacuitatem suam, et per scientiam suæ artis figuret illud, et assimilet illud imagini hominis,

14aut alicui ex animalibus illud comparet: perliniens rubrica, et rubicundum faciens fuco colorem illius, et omnem maculam quæ in illo est perliniens;

15et faciat ei dignam habitationem, et in pariete ponens illud, et confirmans ferro

16ne forte cadat, prospiciens illi: sciens quoniam non potest adjuvare se: imago enim est, et opus est illi adjutorium.

17Et de substantia sua, et de filiis suis, et de nuptiis votum faciens inquirit: non erubescit loqui cum illo qui sine anima est.

18Et pro sanitate quidem infirmum deprecatur, et pro vita rogat mortuum, et in adjutorium inutilem invocat.

19Et pro itinere petit ab eo qui ambulare non potest; et de acquirendo, et de operando, et de omnium rerum eventu, petit ab eo qui in omnibus est inutilis.]

1But all men are vain, in whom there is not the knowledge of God: and who by these good things that are seen, could not understand him that is, neither by attending to the works have acknowledged who was the workman:

2But have imagined either the fire, or the wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the great water, or the sun and moon, to be the gods that rule the world.

3With whose beauty, if they, being delighted, took them to be gods: let them know how much the Lord of them is more beautiful than they: for the first author of beauty made all those things.

4Or if they admired their power and their effects, let them understand by them, that he that made them, is mightier than they:

5For by the greatness of the beauty, and of the creature, the creator of them may be seen, so as to be known thereby.

6But yet as to these they are less to be blamed. For they perhaps err, seeking God, and desirous to find him.

7For being conversant among his works, they search: and they are persuaded that the things are good which are seen.

8But then again they are not to be pardoned.

9For if they were able to know so much as to make a judgment of the world: how did they not more easily find out the Lord thereof?

10But unhappy are they, and their hope is among the dead, who have called gods the works of the hands of men, gold and silver, the inventions of art, and the resemblances of beasts, or an unprofitable stone the work of an ancient hand.

11Or if an artist, a carpenter, hath cut down a tree proper for his use in the wood, and skillfully taken off all the bark thereof, and with his art, diligently formeth a vessel profitable for the common uses of life,

12And useth the chips of his work to dress his meat:

13And taking what was left thereof, which is good for nothing, being a crooked piece of wood, and full of knots, carveth it diligently when he hath nothing else to do, and by the skill of his art fashioneth it and maketh it like the image of a man:

14Or the resemblance of some beast, laying it over with vermilion, and painting it red, and covering every spot that is in it:

15And maketh a convenient dwelling place for it, and setting it in a wall, and fastening it with iron,

16Providing for it, lest it should fall, knowing that it is unable to help itself: for it is an image, and hath need of help.

17And then maketh prayer to it, inquiring concerning his substance, and his children, or his marriage. And he is not ashamed to speak to that which hath no life:

18And for health he maketh supplication to the weak, and for life prayeth to that which is dead, and for help calleth upon that which is unprofitable:

19And for a good journey he petitioneth him that cannot walk: and for getting, and for working, and for the event of all things he asketh him that is unable to do any thing.