Therefore those men were deservedly punished through such creatures: Compare 11.15-16; 12.27. At the beginning of a new section, it would be helpful to use “the enemies of your people” (15.14) instead of those men, and to express such creatures in such a way so that knowledge of the previous section is not required; for example, “And so it was right that these enemies of your people were punished by disgusting creatures” or “And so it was appropriate [or, right/good] that you, O God, used disgusting creatures to punish these enemies of your people.”

And were tormented by a multitude of animals: The word for animals is the same as used in 11.15; see the note there. Good News Translation may be followed for this line, but it is also possible to combine the two lines of this verse; for example, “And so it was appropriate [or, right/good] that these enemies of your people were punished by swarms of disgusting creatures” or “… that you, O God, used swarms of disgusting creatures to punish these enemies of your people.”

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.

For not even the inner chamber that held them protected them from fear: The connector For may be omitted. Inner chamber translates a noun referring to the inmost part of a house, or some dark, hidden corner of it, a place where a person might go to hide. Translators may also render this as “No matter where they lay in their houses, they were not safe from fear [or, fear still controlled them].”

But terrifying sounds rang out around them: Either Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation may serve as a model here. Good News Translation may be expressed in the active voice as “Horrible noises surrounded them” or “They heard horrible noises on all sides of them.”

And dismal phantoms with gloomy faces appeared: “Grim ghosts” (Good News Translation) is better than dismal phantoms. It suggests that the visions are not only depressing and miserable, but also threatening.

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.

Then at once apparitions in dreadful dreams greatly troubled them, and unexpected fears assailed them: Good News Translation inserts “the people who were about to die” for the pronoun them. Something like this is necessary. Verses 17-19 describe their state of mind, and there is no other way of advising the reader who this new subject is. For dreadful dreams and unexpected fears, Contemporary English Version is helpful with “nightmares and terrifying dreams.” But we may also combine the two terms and translate the whole verse as follows:

• The ghostly figures in their nightmares [or, dreams] made the people who were about to die terribly afraid.

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.

Here the subject changes, so Good News Translation opens a new paragraph. To make it clear that the words in the paragraph are still the thoughts of the ungodly people, Good News Translation inserts “The wicked say….” Translators will do well to follow Good News Translation in this. In some languages translators may wish to have even more paragraphs than Good News Translation, and to repeat “The ungodly think…” more frequently through the course of the long quotation.

Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist: Come is less a verb here than an interjection or an exclamation. In English Come and “Come on” (Good News Translation) are adequate translations, but we could also say “Let’s go!” or “So hey!” or just “So.” Translators should be able to find equivalent expressions unique to their own situation. The phrase good things that exist can be interpreted in subtly different ways; for example:

Winston: “good things at hand”
NJB: “good things of today”
NAB: “good things that are real”
NEB: “good things while we can”
GNT: “good things of life”

The Handbook likes a combination of New English Bible and Good News Translation for this line: “So, let’s enjoy the good things of life while we can.”

And make use of the creation to the full as in youth: Good News Translation (and perhaps Revised Standard Version) misinterprets the situation here. It translates as if older people are looking back on the carefree days of their youth. Rather, we are to think here of people who are young. The phrase as in youth is to be interpreted “since we are young.” It is clear from verse 10 that these speakers have no sympathy with elderly people. This line may be rendered “While we’re still young, let’s enjoy the good things of life while we can” or “… let’s use everything in the world we can find to have a good time.”

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.

Even if they live long they will be held of no account, and finally their old age will be without honor: Here we are talking about the actual length of the children’s lives. A possible approach is “Even if their children live a long time, people will always think of them as worthless. Even in old age they will not be respected.”

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.

Following Good News Translation, we will deal with verses 10-12 as statements rather than comparisons. See the note above on verses 9-13. The author does not need to say all these things about ships, birds, and arrows in order to make his point. He is using poetic language, painting word pictures, for the sheer joy of it, much as we find in Job 38-39. In Greek there is considerable play with the sounds of words. Translators may allow themselves some of the same kind of play here, and enjoy using language creatively.

Like a ship that sails through the billowy water: This is a statement in Good News Translation (“A ship sails across the waves of the ocean”). Of course, ships at that time were hardly the huge vessels used for sea transportation today. A seagoing vessel of the author’s day could be as long as 30 meters (about 100 feet), and be about 6 meters at its widest (about 16 feet). Their holds could carry freight or passengers. All ships depended on sails, but warships might also use banks of oars. In cultures where sailing ships are unknown, we may say something like “A large boat moves across the waves of the sea.”

And when it has passed no trace can be found, nor track of its keel in the waves: The keel of a boat is a long timber curving along the deepest part of the hull. It is used poetically here, in a play on words in Greek, and translators need not worry about describing a keel or finding a name for it. The two lines have exactly the same meaning, saying that unlike on land, where a passing person or animal will leave a track, a ship in the water leaves none. When it has passed by, the water it passed through is just the same as it was before. Good News Translation “You cannot tell it was ever there” does not correspond exactly to anything in Greek, but it is a good translation. It expresses the meaning, clarifies “leaves no trace,” and provides a needed extra line. Translators might say “but when it passes, it leaves no tracks behind, nothing to show it was ever there.”

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.

And immortality brings one near to God: The picture here is of a person who has the privilege of appearing before a king; compare Est 1.14. Here the king is God (see verse 4).

An alternative model for this verse is:

• And if you are immortal [or, live after death], you will be close to God.

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.

Though she is but one, she can do all things: Good News Translation “Even though Wisdom acts alone” shifts the focus very slightly; it is a reasonable way to express the idea of Wisdom being one entity or person. Other possible approaches are “Though there is only one Wisdom,” “Though Wisdom is not divided,” and even “Though Wisdom is … only one being” (Contemporary English Version).

And while remaining in herself, she renews all things: Remaining in herself means that Wisdom never changes. Good News Translation reverses the clauses. Translators could say “Although she herself is always the same, she makes everything new.” Compare Psa 102.27; 104.30.

In every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets: This means that in every generation there are some holy people, into whose souls Wisdom enters; these people become known as God’s friends, or prophets. By soul the author means the essence of a person’s being and personality, the nonphysical aspect of the person which will survive the death of the body. An alternative model for this line is “In each generation she enters the souls of people faithful to God, and makes them….” Prophets is often translated as “God’s spokespersons” or “people who speak [or, proclaim] God’s message.”

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.