For their enemies deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness may be rendered “But those others [or, their enemies] deserved to have light taken from them, to be imprisoned in darkness.” Or translators may say “But when those others [or, their enemies] were shut up in darkness, deprived of any light, they deserved it” or even “But when you shut their enemies up in darkness, not allowing them to see any light, they deserved it.” Note that the connector For is better rendered as “But” in this context.

Those who had kept thy sons imprisoned: This second line of the verse is closely linked with both the first line and the third line, yet it is difficult to express this verse as one sentence and keep it easily understood. The solution of Good News Translation is to use two sentences. It makes this line part of the first one with “… because they had made prisoners of your people.” Then it repeats “your people” in the last line. This makes “your people” the obvious point of connection.

Through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to the world: Good News Translation has a good translation of this line, and furnishes a fairly simple model; but we may also use the active voice: “And it was through your people that you would give the eternal light of your Law to the world.” Here God’s law is compared to light because it makes clear to people how they should live. If the metaphor is difficult, another possible rendering is “And it was through your people that you would give the Law, which would always show people how they should live.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• But when you shut their enemies up in darkness, not allowing them to see any light, they deserved it. This was because they had imprisoned [or, made prisoners of] your people. And it was through your people that you would give the eternal light of your Law to the world.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.