1 For they have said, reasoning with themselves, but not right: The time of our life is short and tedious, and in the end of a man there is no remedy, and no man hath been known to have returned from hell:
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They were thirsty, and they called upon thee, and water was given them out of the high rock, and a refreshment of their thirst out of the hard stone. 11:4
Trivia: According to the Book of Wisdom, who were "eaters of men' s bowels, and devourers of blood"?
1 For they have said, reasoning with themselves, but not right: The time of our life is short and tedious, and in the end of a man there is no remedy, and no man hath been known to have returned from hell:
They have said, reasoning with themselves, but incorrectly.... [1]
2 For we are born of nothing, and after this we shall be as if we had not been: for the breath in our nostrils is smoke: and speech a spark to move our heart,
3 Which being put out, our body shall be ashes, and our spirit shall be poured abroad as soft air, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, which is driven away by the beams of the sun, and overpowered with the heat thereof:
4 And our name in time shall be forgotten, and no man shall have any remembrance of our works.
5For our time is as the passing of a shadow, and there is no going back of our end: for it is fast sealed, and no man returneth.
6Come therefore, and let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth.
7Let us fill ourselves with costly wine, and ointments: and let not the flower of the time pass by us.
8Let us crown ourselves with roses, before they be withered: let no meadow escape our riot.
9Let none of us go without his part in luxury: let us everywhere leave tokens of joy: for this is our portion, and this our lot.
10 Let us oppress the poor just man, and not spare the widow, nor honour the ancient grey hairs of the aged.
11 But let our strength be the law of justice: for that which is feeble, is found to be nothing worth.
12 Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life.
13He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the son of God.
He claims to have the knowledge of God,
and calls himself the son of God. [2]
14 He is become a censurer of our thoughts.
15 He is grievous unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, and his ways are very different.
16 We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father.
He claims that God is his father.
17Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be.
Let's see if his words are true.
Let's see what happens to him when he dies.
18 For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies.
If he is the son of God, we will defend him, and we will protect him from his eneies
19Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness and try his patience.
Let's examine him when he is ouitraged and tortured.
20Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect had unto him by his words.
Let's condemn him to a shameful death.
21 These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them.
22 And they knew not the secrets of God, nor hoped for the wages of justice, nor esteemed the honour of holy souls.
23 For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him.
24 But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world:
25 And they follow him that are of his side.
The author claims that the views expressed in verses 1-9 are incorrect, but they are some of the most reasonable thoughts expressed in the Bible. They sound like they were taken straight out of Ecclesiastes.
The early church fathers interpreted this, as they did Isaiah 53, to refer to Jesus.
There's a funny way of books of the Bible, canonized or otherwise, to begin to show signs of sensibility, but then let themselves fall apart in a moment. Parts of this chapter don't sound too bad, but then comes some weirdness by way of the statement that "God created man incorruptible," but then alluding to people nevertheless following the devil.
Are the devil's followers not corrupted?