Wisdom Chapter 12

Other Translations

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 O quam bonus, et suavis est Domine spiritus tuus in omnibus!

2 Ideoque eos, qui exerrant, partibus corripis: et de quibus peccant, admones et alloqueris: ut relicta malitia credant in te Domine.

3 Illos enim antiquos inhabitatores terræ sanctæ tuæ, quos exhorruisti,

4 quoniam odibilia opera tibi faciebant per medicamina et sacrificia iniusta,

5 et filiorum suorum necatores sine misericordia, et comestores viscerum hominum, et devoratores sanguinis a medio sacramento tuo,

6 et auctores parentes animarum inauxiliatarum perdere voluisti per manus parentum nostrorum,

7 ut dignam perciperent peregrinationem puerorum Dei, quæ tibi omnium charior est terra.

8 Sed et his tamquam hominibus pepercisti, et misisti antecessores exercitus tui vespas, ut illos paulatim exterminarent.

9 Non quia impotens eras in bello subiicere impios iustis, aut bestiis sævis, aut verbo duro simul exterminare:

10 sed partibus iudicans dabas locum pœnitentiæ, non ignorans quoniam nequam est natio eorum, et naturalis malitia ipsorum, et quoniam non poterat mutari cogitatio illorum in perpetuum.

11 Semen enim erat maledictum ab initio: nec timens aliquem, veniam dabas peccatis illorum.

12 Quis enim dicet tibi: Quid fecisti? aut quis stabit contra iudicium tuum? aut quis in conspectu tuo veniet vindex iniquorum hominum? aut quis tibi imputabit, si perierint nationes, quas tu fecisti?

13 Non enim est alius Deus quam tu, cui cura est de omnibus, ut ostendas quoniam non iniuste iudicas iudicium.

14 Neque rex, neque tyrannus in conspectu tuo inquirent de his, quos perdidisti.

15 Cum ergo sis iustus, iuste omnia disponis: ipsum quoque, qui non debet puniri, condemnare, exterum æstimas a tua virtute.

16 Virtus enim tua iustitiæ initium est: et ob hoc quod Dominus es, omnibus te parcere facis.

17 Virtutem enim ostendis tu, qui non crederis esse in virtute consummatus, et horum, qui te nesciunt, audaciam traducis.

18 Tu autem dominator virtutis, cum tranquillitate iudicas, et cum magna reverentia disponis nos: subest enim tibi, cum volueris, posse.

19 Docuisti autem populum tuum, per talia opera, quoniam oportet iustum esse et humanum, et bonæ spei fecisti filios tuos: quoniam iudicans das locum in peccatis pœnitentiæ.

20 Si enim inimicos servorum tuorum, et debitos morti, cum tanta cruciasti attentione, dans tempus et locum, per quæ possent mutari a malitia;

21 cum quanta diligentia iudicasti filios tuos, quorum parentibus iuramenta et conventiones dedisti bonarum promissionum?

22 Cum ergo das nobis disciplinam, inimicos nostros multipliciter flagellas, ut bonitatem tuam cogitemus iudicantes: et cum de nobis iudicatur, speremus misericordiam tuam.

23 Unde et illis, qui in vita sua insensate et iniuste vixerunt, per hæc, quæ coluerunt, dedisti summa tormenta.

24 Etenim in erroris via diutius erraverunt, deos æstimantes hæc, quæ in animalibus sunt supervacua, infantium insensatorum more viventes.

25 Propter hoc tamquam pueris insensatis iudicium in derisum dedisti.

26 Qui autem ludibriis et increpationibus non sunt correcti, dignum Dei iudicium experti sunt.

27 In quibus enim patientes indignabantur, per hæc quos putabant deos, in ipsis cum exterminarentur videntes, illum, quem olim negabant se nosse, verum Deum agnoverunt: propter quod et finis condemnationis eorum venit super illos.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).