1
Wisdom protected the first-formed father of the world, when he alone had been created; she delivered him from his transgression,
2
and gave him strength to rule all things.
3
But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger, he perished because in rage he slew his brother.
4
When the earth was flooded because of him, wisdom again saved it, steering the righteous man by a paltry piece of wood.
5
Wisdom also, when the nations in wicked agreement had been confounded, recognized the righteous man and preserved him blameless before God, and kept him strong in the face of his compassion for his child.
6
Wisdom rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing; he escaped the fire that descended on the Five Cities.
7
Evidence of their wickedness still remains: a continually smoking wasteland, plants bearing fruit that does not ripen, and a pillar of salt standing as a monument to an unbelieving soul.
8
For because they passed wisdom by, they not only were hindered from recognizing the good, but also left for mankind a reminder of their folly, so that their failures could never go unnoticed.