1 Her great power reaches into every part of the world, and she sets everything in useful order.
Solomon's Love for Wisdom
2 Wisdom has been my love. I courted her when I was young and wanted to make her my bride. I fell in love with her beauty. 3 She glorifies her noble origin by living with God, the Lord of all, who loves her. 4 She is familiar with God's mysteries and helps determine his course of action.
5 Is it good to have riches in this life? Nothing can make you richer than Wisdom, who makes everything function. 6 Is knowledge a useful thing to have? Nothing is better than Wisdom, who has given shape to everything that exists. 7 Do you love justice? All the virtues are the result of Wisdom's work: justice and courage, self-control and understanding. Life can offer us nothing more valuable than these. 8 Do you want to have wide experience? Wisdom knows the lessons of history and can anticipate the future. She knows how to interpret what people say and how to solve problems. She knows the miracles that God will perform, and how the movements of history will develop.
9 So I decided to take Wisdom home to live with me, because I knew that she would give me good advice and encourage me in times of trouble and grief. 10 I thought to myself, “Because of her I will be honored wherever people come together. The old men will respect me, even though I am young. 11 They will find that my opinions show deep insight, and those in power will admire me. 12 When I am silent, they will wait for me to speak, and when I speak, they will pay attention. Even when I speak at length, they will listen with concentration. 13 Because of Wisdom I will gain immortality; I will live forever in the memory of those who come after me. 14 I will hold power over nations and peoples; 15 dreaded tyrants will be seized with fear at the mention of my name. I will be famous, as a good king and as a brave soldier. 16 When I come home to Wisdom, I will find contentment because there is no conflict or pain in living with her, only happiness and joy.”
17 And so I thought it over: to be wedded to Wisdom is to live forever, 18 to love her is to be perfectly happy, to do her work is to be rich beyond measure, to share her company is to have sound judgment, to converse with her is to be honored. Then I was determined to take Wisdom as my bride. 19-20 I had a pleasant personality even as a child. I had been fortunate enough to receive a good soul, or rather, I was given a sound body to live in because I was already good. 21 Still, I realized that I would never receive Wisdom unless God gave her to me—and knowing that only God could give her to me was itself a sign of understanding. So I prayed, begging the Lord with all my heart:
1 Gā-aisib di kai ǀgaib ge hoaraga ǃhūbaib ǃnâ khoraǂuisa tsî mâ xū-i hoa-e ǃgâi ǀgaub ǃnâ ra aiǃgû kai.
Salomob ge Gā-aisibab a ǀnam ǀgaub xa ra ǃhoa
2 Tita ge hūgasa xu Gā-aisiba ge ǀnam i. Ti ǂkhamsisa xu ta ge ǁîba ǀnam tsî ti ǃgame-ao kaib nîsa gere ǂhâba. Tita ge ǁîb di îsasiba ge ǀnam. 3 ǁÎb ge Elob, hoan di ǃKhūb, ǁîba a ǀnammi ǀkha ûiǁares ǀkha, ǁîba kai ǃgôasiba ra mā. 4 ǁÎb ge aiǂhanub Elob di ǂganǃgâsiga ǂans diba ūhâ tsî ǁîb sîsengu di aiǃgûs ǃnâ ra ǁhao.
5 ǃGâi i kha a ǃkhūsiba nē ûib ǃnâ ūhâsa? Gā-aisib ose i ge ǀnî xū-i ǃkhū kai tsi ǁkhā-e a ǀkhai, ǁîb hoa xūna ra īǁkhā kai xui-ao. 6 ǂAns ge xūna da nî dīs ǃoa ra hui da tsî Gā-aisib, hoa xūna ge kurus ǃnâ ǂnubib ose i ge ǀnî xū-i xare-e a hui da ǁoa. 7 Sada ge amaba ǀnam, xawe hoa ǃgâisib ge a Gā-aisib di sîsen. ǁÎb ge aitsama ǂhanu-aisib tsî ǁkhoaǂgaoxasib, ǃûisens tsî ǃgâi ǀgoraǃgâs tsîna ra ǁkhāǁkhā. Ûib ge nēn xa ǃnāǂamsa xū-e a mā da ǁoa. 8 Sada hoada ge ǂgui xūna ra ǁnâuǃā ǂgao. Gā-aisib ge taren ge īgeǁaeb ǃnâ ī ǃkhaisa a ǂan tsî ǃgoaxaǁaeb ǃnâ nî īna ǃâubasen hâ. Khoen ra mî xūna da nî ǁnâuǃā ǃkhais ǀkhab ge hui da tsî ǃgom xūn di ǃereamsa da nî hō ǀgaus tsîna ra mā da. ǁÎb ge mâtin nî sores, ǁkhâb tsî ǀgamiron tsîna ǃgû tsî mâ ǁaeb ain ǁnaetisa tama xūna ǂoab tsî ǀnanub di mâsib ǃnâ nî ī ǃkhaisa a ǂan. ǁKhātib ge taren nî kurikamagu ga ǀkharaǀkharasen tamas ka io kuriga ǃkharu, o ī ǃkhais tsîna a ǂan.
9 ǁNā-amaga ta ge Gā-aisiba ta tita ǀkhab nî hâse nî ū ǃkhaisa ge mîǁgui, ǁîb nî ǃgâise ǀapemā tsî ǃgomsigu tsî ǃoab di ǁaeb ǃnâ ǂgaoǂgaoǃnâ te ǃkhaisa ta a ǂan xui-ao. 10 Tita ge ra ǂâi: “ǁÎb xa ǃaromahe hâse ta hoaraga khoen xa, ǀhaon ra ǃkhain hoan ai ǃgôasiba nî māhesa. ǂKham ta a xawen ge kaikhoena ǃgôasiba nî mā te. 11 Ti mûǂgāǀgaugu ge ǁîn mûǁae nî ǃgâi tsîn ge ǁnān ǂgaeǂguis ǃnâ hâna tita xa nî ǂan ǂgao. 12 Tita ga ǃnō, on ge ǃhoa ta nîsa nî ǃâu tsî ǃhoa ta ga, o nî ǃgaoǃgâ. Gaxuse ta ga ǃhoa, xawes tsînan ge ǃgaoǃgâxase nî ǃgâ. 13 Gā-aisib xa ǃaromahe hâse ta ge ǁōǁoasiba nî ūhâ tsî ǁnān ti khaoǃgâ nî hān ge tātsē ǀuru te tide. 14 Tita ge ǃhaodi tsî ǁaedi tsîna nî gaoǂam 15 tsî ǃaoǃaosa ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge ti ǀonsa gu ga ǁnâu, o ǃoab xa nî hāǂamhe. Tita ge ǃgâi gao-aob tsî ǁkhoaǂgaoxa toroǃkhamaob ase nî ǂansa. 16 Gā-aisib ǃoa ta ga ǁaruhā, o ta ge ǁîb tawa nî sâ. ǁÎb ǀkha ta ǀguipa hâ xui-ao i ge ǂâiǂhansen-i, tamas ka io tsû-i xare-e a ǀkhai tsîb ge ǃgâiaǂgaob tsî dâb tsîn ǀguina hâ.”
17 Tsî ta ge ge ǂâiǃgâ: Gā-aisib ǀkha ǃgames ge ǀamose ûisa, 18 ǁîba ǀnams ge ǃūmû ǃgâiaǂgaosa. ǁÎb sîsenna dīs ge ǃnāǂamsa ǃkhūsisa tsî ǁîb di ǀhûhâsib ǃnâ amǃnâxas ge ǃgâi ǀgoraǃgâs ǂansa ūhâsa. ǁÎb ǀkha ǃhoaǁares ge a ǃgôasi. O ta ge Gā-aisib ǀkha ǃgamesa ge mîǁgui. 19 ǀGôa ta ge i, o ta ge ǀgaisa tsî ge ǂuru i tsî ǁkhāti ǃgâiǃgâ tsî ǃgâi ûiba ge ǃkhōǃoa. Tita ge ǂuru sorosa ǀnai ta ge ǃgâi i xui-ao ge māhe. 20 Tita ge ge mûǂan, tātsē ta Gā-aisiba Elob ga mā te tama io ǃkhōǃoa tide ǃkhaisa. Tsî Elob ǀguib ǁîba tita mā ǁkhā ǃkhaisa ta ge ǂan, ǃkhais ge ge ǁnâuǃāb di ǁgauǁgau i. 21 ǁNā-amaga ta ge ǃKhūba ti ǂgaob hoab ǀkha ǀgore tsî ge ǀkhoma.
