Chapter 24

24. Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people, opening her mouth in the congregation of the most High, and triumphing in the presence of his power. I came out of the mouth of the most High, and covered the earth as a cloud, I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar, I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the bottom of the deep, and in the waves of the sea, and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession. With all these I sought rest, and in whose inheritance shall I abide? So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let your dwelling be in Jacob, and your inheritance in Israel; he created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail. In the holy tabernacle I served before him, and so was I established in Sion, likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, and in Jerusalem was my power, where I took root in an honourable people, even in the portion of the Lord’s inheritance. I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon, I was exalted like a palm tree in Engaddi, and as rose plants in Jericho, as a fair olive tree in a pleasant field, and grew up as a plane tree by the water, giving a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, and I yielded a pleasant odor like the best myrrh. As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, and my branches are the branches of honor and grace, as the vine brought I forth a pleasant scent, and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches, and I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope, giving all these things to my children, and being required of them all, I am their mother that loves them. Come unto me, all ye that are desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits, for my spirit is sweeter than honey, and my inheritance than the honey comb, and my memorial is unto everlasting generations; they that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty. He that obeys me shall not be ashamed, and they that do work in me shall not do amiss; all these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, even the law which Moses commanded for an heritage unto the congregations of Jacob, which fills men with wisdom, as Pison and as Tigris in the time of the new fruits, and makes their understanding to abound like Euphrates, and as Jordan in the time of the harvest, and makes doctrine to issue forth as the light, and bringeth forth in the end thereof as Geon in the time of vintage. The first man knew her not perfectly, no more shall the last search her out, for her thoughts are more than the sea, and her counsels deeper than the great deep, I only came out as a brook from a river, and as a conduit into a garden, and I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my flower bed, and lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea. I will yet make my doctrine to shine as the morning, and will send forth her light afar off, I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it to all ages, and will not cease to add thereunto, for I came forth as a river, and as a watercourse into a paradise, and I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my flower bed, and lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea. See that I have not labored for myself only, but for all them that seek wisdom, and all them that seek wisdom shall inherit good things.