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For he spoke, and it came to be,
    commanded, and it stood in place.(A)

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Chapter 9

Solomon’s Prayer[a]

[b]God of my ancestors, Lord of mercy,(A)
    you who have made all things by your word(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 9:1–18 The author presents his version of Solomon’s prayer (1 Kgs 3:6–9; 2 Chr 1:8–10).
  2. 9:1–2 The author identifies Wisdom with the word of God just as he again identifies Wisdom with the spirit of God in v. 17. All three are alternate ways of expressing God’s activity in relationship with the world and its inhabitants.

The Works of God in Nature[a]

15 Now will I recall God’s works;
    what I have seen, I will describe.
By the Lord’s word his works were brought into being;
    he accepts the one who does his will.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 42:15–43:33 These verses comprise another hymn; cf. 16:24–18:14. In them Ben Sira contemplates God’s power, beauty, and goodness as manifested in the mighty work of creating and preserving the universe (42:15–17, 22–25; 43:1–26), his omniscience (42:18–20), perfect wisdom and eternity (42:21). The conclusion is a fervent hymn of praise (43:27–31).

[a]yet for us there is

one God, the Father,
    from whom all things are and for whom we exist,
and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    through whom all things are and through whom we exist.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 8:6 This verse rephrases the monotheistic confession of v 4 in such a way as to contrast it with polytheism (1 Cor 8:5) and to express our relationship with the one God in concrete, i.e., in personal and Christian terms. And for whom we exist: since the Greek contains no verb here and the action intended must be inferred from the preposition eis, another translation is equally possible: “toward whom we return.” Through whom all things: the earliest reference in the New Testament to Jesus’ role in creation.

16 For in him[a] were created all things in heaven and on earth,
    the visible and the invisible,
    whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
    all things were created through him and for him.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 1:16–17 Christ (though not mentioned by name) is preeminent and supreme as God’s agent in the creation of all things (cf. Jn 1:3), as prior to all things (Col 1:17; cf. Hb 1:3).

in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,(A)

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14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea,[a] write this:

“‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this:(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 3:14 Laodicea: ca. forty miles southeast of Philadelphia and ca. eighty miles east of Ephesus, a wealthy industrial and commercial center, with a renowned medical school. It exported fine woolen garments and was famous for its eye salves. It was so wealthy that it was proudly rebuilt without outside aid after the devastating earthquake of A.D. 60/61. The Amen: this is a divine title (cf. Hebrew text of Is 65:16) applied to Christ; cf. 2 Cor 1:20. Source of God’s creation: literally, “the beginning of God’s creation,” a concept found also in Jn 1:3; Col 1:16–17; Hb 1:2; cf. Prv 8:22–31; Wis 9:1–2.