Sapiential Work B

Sapiential Work B

[A wisdom poem on the frailty of man and the gift of wisdom; preserved in fragments.]

And now, hear me, my people, and give heed to me, you simple ones. Consider the might of God, and remember the wonders he did in Egypt, and his signs in the land of Ham; let your heart tremble before his dread, and do his will. [Text missing]

What is a man, that he is but earth?

From dust he was shaped,

and to dust he returns.

His days are like a shadow upon the ground;

like grass that springs in the morning

and by evening withers and is gone.

Blessed is the man to whom wisdom has been given; he walks in her, and does not despise her, nor seek her with a deceitful heart. She was given to Israel, and like a good measure she is dealt out; all his people he redeems by her, but those who reject her he destroys. Seek her, and find her; hold her fast, and inherit her, and length of days, and fatness of bone, and the joy of the heart. [Line damaged]

[Fragment breaks here]