Wisdom 1:1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
I. The Reward of Righteousness[a]
Chapter 1
Exhortation to Righteousness, the Key to Life
1 Love righteousness,[b] you who judge the earth;(A)
think of the Lord in goodness,
and seek him in integrity of heart;(B)
Footnotes
- 1:1–6:21 The reward is the gift of immortality, to the righteous (1:15; 3:1–3), but not to the wicked (5:1–13). Contrasts between these two groups dominate chaps. 1–5. The philosophy of the wicked and their persecution of the righteous are dramatically presented in 1:16–2:24. New light is shed on the suffering of the righteous (3:1–9), childlessness (3:13–15), and premature death (4:7–16)—in contrast to the fate of the wicked (3:10–12, 16–19; 4:3–6, 17–20).
- 1:1 Righteousness: not merely the cardinal virtue of justice (cf. 8:7), but the universal moral quality which is the application of wisdom to moral conduct. You who judge: “judges” and “kings” (cf. 6:1) are addressed in accordance with the literary customs of the times and with the putative Solomonic authorship, but the real audience is the Jewish community.
Wisdom 1:8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
8 Therefore those who utter wicked things will not go unnoticed,
nor will chastising condemnation pass them by.(A)
Wisdom 11:20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
20 Even without these, they could have been killed at a single blast,
pursued by justice
and winnowed by your mighty spirit.
But you have disposed all things by measure and number and weight.(A)
Jeremiah 5:2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
2 They say, “As the Lord lives,”
but in fact they swear falsely.
Jeremiah 5:7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
7 Why should I pardon you?
Your children have forsaken me,
they swear by gods that are no gods.
I fed them, but they commit adultery;
to the prostitute’s house they throng.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.