1 Wisdom is the book of God's commandments, the Law that will last forever. All who hold onto her will live, but those who abandon her will die. 2 Turn to Wisdom, people of Israel, and take hold of her. Make your way toward the splendor of her light. 3 Do not surrender our glorious privileges to any other people. 4 How happy we are, people of Israel; we have the advantage of knowing what is pleasing to God!
Comfort for Jerusalem
5 Take courage, my people, you are the ones who keep Israel's name alive. 6 You were sold to Gentile nations, but not to be destroyed. Because you made God angry, he handed you over to your enemies. 7 When you offered sacrifices to demons instead of to God, you angered the one who made you. 8 You forgot the Eternal God, who had nourished you as a child, and so you brought grief to Jerusalem, who had been like a mother to you. 9 Jerusalem saw that God was punishing you because he was angry, and she said to all the neighboring cities, “Look at the great misery that God has brought on me. 10 I saw my sons and daughters taken into captivity, a captivity brought on them by the Eternal God. 11 I brought up my children with great delight, but I cried and mourned when they were taken from me. 12 Let no one take pleasure in my suffering now that I am a widow and so many of my children have been taken from me. They turned away from God's Law, and their sins have made me a deserted city. 13 They had no respect for his commandments and would not live by them; they refused to let him guide them in the way of righteousness.
14 “All you neighboring cities, come and consider how the Eternal God has sent my children into exile. 15 He brought against them a nation from far away, a shameless nation that speaks a foreign language and has no respect for the elderly and no pity for children. 16 These people carried off my beloved sons and took away my daughters, and I was left a widow, completely alone.
17 “My children in exile, I can do nothing to help you. 18 Only the one who brought this punishment upon you can rescue you from your enemies. 19 Go your own way, my children; live your own life! I am all alone. 20 I have taken off the robes I wore during days of peace, and I have dressed myself like a person in mourning. I will cry out to the Eternal God for help as long as I live.
21 “Take courage, my children, and cry out to God for help. He will rescue you from oppression, from the power of your enemies. 22 I am confident that the Eternal God will soon set you free. The Holy One, your eternal savior, will make me happy when he shows you mercy. 23 I cried and wailed when you were taken away, but God will bring you back and will make me happy forever. 24 Just as the neighboring cities watched as you were taken captive, so they will soon see the Eternal God coming in glorious splendor to rescue you. 25 My children, endure God's punishment with patience. Your enemies have persecuted you, but you will soon see them destroyed and at your mercy. 26 My children, I spoiled you with love, but you have had to follow rugged paths; you were carried off like sheep caught in an enemy raid.
27 “Take courage, my children, and cry out to God for help. He punished you, but he will not forget you. 28 Just as you were once determined to turn away from God, now turn back and serve him with ten times more determination. 29 The one who brought these calamities upon you will rescue you and bring you everlasting joy.”
Jerusalem Is Assured of Help
30 Take courage, Jerusalem. God, who gave you your name, will now bring comfort to you. 31 Misery will come to those who mistreated you and then rejoiced when you fell. 32 Misery will come to those cities that made your children slaves. Misery will be the fate of Babylon, that city which swallowed up your children. 33 Just as that city rejoiced when you fell and took delight in your ruin, so now she will mourn when she herself is deserted. 34 I will turn her proud boastings into mourning and take away her large population in which she took pride. 35 I, the Eternal God, will send down fire on her, and it will burn for many days. Her ruins will be haunted by demons for a long time to come.
36 Look to the east, Jerusalem, and see the joy that God is bringing to you. 37 Look, your children are coming home, the children that were taken from you. They have been gathered together from the east and from the west by the command of God, the Holy One. And now they are coming home, rejoicing in the glory of God.
1 This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law that endureth for ever: all they that keep it shall come to life; but such as leave it shall die.
2 Turn thee, O Jacob, and take hold of it: walk in the presence of the light thereof, that thou mayest be illuminated.
3 Give not thine honour to another, nor the things that are profitable unto thee to a strange nation.
4 O Israel, happy are we: for things that are pleasing to God are made known unto us.
5 Be of good cheer, my people, the memorial of Israel.
6 Ye were sold to the nations, not for your destruction: but because ye moved God to wrath, ye were delivered unto the enemies.
7 For ye provoked him that made you by sacrificing unto devils, and not to God.
8 Ye have forgotten the everlasting God, that brought you up; and ye have grieved Jerusalem, that nursed you.
9 For when she saw the wrath of God coming upon you, she said, Hearken, O ye that dwell about Sion: God hath brought upon me great mourning;
10 For I saw the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting brought upon them.
11 With joy did I nourish them; but sent them away with weeping and mourning.
12 Let no man rejoice over me, a widow, and forsaken of many, who for the sins of my children am left desolate; because they departed from the law of God.
13 They knew not his statutes, nor walked in the ways of his commandments, nor trod in the paths of discipline in his righteousness.
14 Let them that dwell about Sion come, and remember ye the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting hath brought upon them.
15 For he hath brought a nation upon them from far, a shameless nation, and of a strange language, who neither reverenced old man, nor pitied child.
16 These have carried away the dear beloved children of the widow, and left her that was alone desolate without daughters.
17 But what can I help you?
18 For he that brought these plagues upon you will deliver you from the hands of your enemies.
19 Go your way, O my children, go your way: for I am left desolate.
20 I have put off the clothing of peace, and put upon me the sackcloth of my prayer: I will cry unto the Everlasting in my days.
21 Be of good cheer, O my children, cry unto the Lord, and he will deliver you from the power and hand of the enemies.
22 For my hope is in the Everlasting, that he will save you; and joy is come unto me from the Holy One, because of the mercy which shall soon come unto you from the Everlasting our Saviour.
23 For I sent you out with mourning and weeping: but God will give you to me again with joy and gladness for ever.
24 Like as now the neighbours of Sion have seen your captivity: so shall they see shortly your salvation from our God which shall come upon you with great glory, and brightness of the Everlasting.
25 My children, suffer patiently the wrath that is come upon you from God: for thine enemy hath persecuted thee; but shortly thou shalt see his destruction, and shalt tread upon his neck.
26 My delicate ones have gone rough ways, and were taken away as a flock caught of the enemies.
27 Be of good comfort, O my children, and cry unto God: for ye shall be remembered of him that brought these things upon you.
28 For as it was your mind to go astray from God: so, being returned, seek him ten times more.
29 For he that hath brought these plagues upon you shall bring you everlasting joy with your salvation.
30 Take a good heart, O Jerusalem: for he that gave thee that name will comfort thee.
31 Miserable are they that afflicted thee, and rejoiced at thy fall.
32 Miserable are the cities which thy children served: miserable is she that received thy sons.
33 For as she rejoiced at thy ruin, and was glad of thy fall: so shall she be grieved for her own desolation.
34 For I will take away the rejoicing of her great multitude, and her pride shall be turned into mourning.
35 For fire shall come upon her from the Everlasting, long to endure; and she shall be inhabited of devils for a great time.
36 O Jerusalem, look about thee toward the east, and behold the joy that cometh unto thee from God.
37 Lo, thy sons come, whom thou sentest away, they come gathered together from the east to the west by the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God.