Wisdom Chapter 18

Other Translations

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

1 Sanctis autem tuis maxima erat lux, et horum quidem vocem audiebant, sed figuram non videbant. Et quia non et ipsi eadem passi erant, magnificabant te:

2 et qui ante læsi erant, quia non lædebantur, gratias agebant: et ut esset differentia, donum petebant.

3 Propter quod ignis ardentem columnam ducem habuerunt ignotæ viæ, et solem sine læsura boni hospitii præstitisti.

4 Digni quidem illi carere luce, et pati carcerem tenebrarum, qui inclusos custodiebant filios tuos, per quos incipiebat incorruptum legis lumen sæculo dari.

5 Cum cogitarent iustorum occidere infantes: et uno expositio filio, et liberato, in traductionem illorum, multitudinem filiorum abstulisti, et pariter illos perdidisti in aqua valida.

6 Illa enim nox ante cognita est a patribus nostris, ut vere scientes quibus iuramentis crediderunt, animæquiores essent.

7 Suscepta est autem a populo tuo sanitas quidem iustorum, iniustorum autem exterminatio.

8 Sicut enim læsisti adversarios: sic et nos provocans magnificasti.

9 Absconse enim sacrificabant iusti pueri bonorum, et iustitiæ legem in concordia disposuerunt: similiter et bona et mala recepturos iustos, patrum iam decantantes laudes.

10 Resonabat autem inconveniens inimicorum vox, et flebilis audiebatur planctus ploratorum infantium.

11 Simili autem pœna servus cum domino afflictus est, et popularis homo regi similia passus.

12 Similiter ergo omnes uno nomine mortis mortuos habebant innumerabiles. Nec enim ad sepeliendum vivi sufficiebant: quoniam uno momento, quæ erat præclarior natio illorum, exterminata est.

13 De omnibus enim non credentes propter veneficia, tunc vero primum cum fuit exterminium primogenitorum, spoponderunt populum Dei esse.

14 Cum enim quietum silentium contineret omnia, et nox in suo cursu medium iter haberet,

15 omnipotens sermo tuus de cælo a regalibus sedibus, durus debellator in mediam exterminii terram prosilivit,

16 gladius acutus insimulatum imperium tuum portans, et stans replevit omnia morte, et usque ad cælum attingebat stans in terra.

17 Tunc continuo visus somniorum malorum turbaverunt illos, et timores supervenerunt insperati.

18 Et alius alibi proiectus semivivus, propter quam moriebatur, causam demonstrabat mortis.

19 Visiones enim, quæ illos turbaverunt, hæc præmonebant, ne inscii, quare mala patiebantur, perirent.

20 Tetigit autem tunc et iustos tentatio mortis, et commotio in eremo facta est multitudinis: sed non diu permansit ira tua.

21 Prosperans enim homo sine querela deprecari pro populis, proferens servitutis suæ scutum, orationem et per incensum deprecationem allegans, restitit iræ, et finem imposuit necessitati, ostendens quoniam tuus est famulus.

22 Vicit autem turbas, non in virtute corporis, nec armaturæ potentia, sed verbo illum, qui se vexabat, subiecit, iuramenta parentum, et testamentum commemorans.

23 Cum enim iam acervatim cecidissent super alterutrum mortui, interstitit, et amputavit impetum, et divisit illam, quæ ad vivos ducebat viam.

24 In veste enim poderis, quam habebat, totus erat orbis terrarum: et parentum magnalia in quatuor ordinibus lapidum erant sculpta, et magnificientia tua in diademate capitis illius sculpta erat.

25 His autem cessit qui exterminabat, et hæc extimuit. Erat enim sola tentatio iræ sufficiens.

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).