| 22 κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ 23 πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με ἐν ἀρχῇ 24 πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων 25 πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με 26 κύριος ἐποίησεν χώρας καὶ ἀοικήτους καὶ ἄκρα οἰκούμενα τῆς ὑ{P'} οὐρανόν 27 ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζεν τὸν οὐρανόν συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ καὶ ὅτε ἀφώριζεν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον ἐ{P'} ἀνέμων 28 ἡνίκα ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ ἄνω νέφη καὶ ὡς ἀσφαλεῖς ἐτίθει πηγὰς τῆς ὑ{P'} οὐρανὸν 29 καὶ ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς 30 ἤμην πα{R'} αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα ἐγὼ ἤμην ᾗ προσέχαιρεν κα{Q'} ἡμέραν δὲ εὐφραινόμην ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ 31 ὅτε εὐφραίνετο τὴν οἰκουμένην συντελέσας καὶ ἐνευφραίνετο ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων 32 νῦν οὖν υἱέ ἄκουέ μου 33 34 μακάριος ἀνήρ ὃς εἰσακούσεταί μου καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὰς ἐμὰς ὁδοὺς φυλάξει ἀγρυπνῶν ἐ{P'} ἐμαῖς θύραις κα{Q'} ἡμέραν τηρῶν σταθμοὺς ἐμῶν εἰσόδων 35 αἱ γὰρ ἔξοδοί μου ἔξοδοι ζωῆς καὶ ἑτοιμάζεται θέλησις παρὰ κυρίου 36 οἱ δὲ εἰς ἐμὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες ἀσεβοῦσιν τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς καὶ οἱ μισοῦντές με ἀγαπῶσιν θάνατον |
22 The Lord made me his[1] when first he went about his work, at the birth of time, before his creation began. 23 Long, long ago, before earth was fashioned, I held my course. 24 Already I lay in the womb, when the depths were not yet in being, when no springs of water had yet broken; 25 when I was born, the mountains had not yet sunk on their firm foundations, and there were no hills; 26 not yet had he made the earth, or the rivers, or the solid framework of the world.[2] 27 I was there when he built the heavens, when he fenced in the waters with a vault inviolable, 28 when he fixed the sky overhead, and levelled the fountain-springs of the deep. 29 I was there when he enclosed the sea within its confines, forbidding the waters to transgress their assigned limits, when he poised the foundations of the world. 30 I was at his side, a master-workman, my delight increasing with each day, as I made play before him all the while; 31 made play in this world of dust, with the sons of Adam for my play-fellows. 32 Listen to me, then, you that are my sons, that follow, to your happiness, in the paths I shew you; 33 listen to the teaching that will make you wise, instead of turning away from it. 34 Blessed are they who listen to me, keep vigil, day by day, at my threshold, watching till I open my doors. 35 The man who wins me, wins life, drinks deep of the Lord’s favour; 36 who fails, fails at his own bitter cost; to be my enemy is to be in love with death. |
22
Dominus possedit me in initio viarum suarum
antequam quidquam faceret a principio. 23
Ab æterno ordinata sum,
et ex antiquis antequam terra fieret. 24
Nondum erant abyssi, et ego jam concepta eram:
necdum fontes aquarum eruperant, 25
necdum montes gravi mole constiterant:
ante colles ego parturiebar. 26
Adhuc terram non fecerat, et flumina,
et cardines orbis terræ. 27
Quando præparabat cælos, aderam;
quando certa lege et gyro vallabat abyssos; 28
quando æthera firmabat sursum,
et librabat fontes aquarum; 29
quando circumdabat mari terminum suum,
et legem ponebat aquis, ne transirent fines suos;
quando appendebat fundamenta terræ: 30
cum eo eram, cuncta componens.
Et delectabar per singulos dies,
ludens coram eo omni tempore, 31
ludens in orbe terrarum;
et deliciæ meæ esse cum filiis hominum. 32
Nunc ergo, filii, audite me:
beati qui custodiunt vias meas. 33
Audite disciplinam, et estote sapientes,
et nolite abjicere eam. 34
Beatus homo qui audit me,
et qui vigilat ad fores meas quotidie,
et observat ad postes ostii mei. 35
Qui me invenerit, inveniet vitam,
et hauriet salutem a Domino. 36
Qui autem in me peccaverit, lædet animam suam;
omnes qui me oderunt diligunt mortem. |