Wisdom of Solomon 3:5

Deuterocanon

1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. 2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster, 3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. 4 For though in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. 5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; 6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. 7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. 8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them forever.

James 1:2

New Testament

1 From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings! 2 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. 5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind.

 Notes and References

"... The Letter of James is undoubtedly the New Testament writing that comes closest to the Book of Ben Sira. Although it would be an exaggeration to speak of literary dependence, there are numerous points of contact that merit closer study. Prominent among these is the literary, thematic and contextual affinity between Sirach 2:1-18 and James 1:2-12. Both are exhortations belonging to the same biblical tradition, as Frankemölle has demonstrated. In both texts, various trials (sent by the Lord) may serve, even for a faithful and law-abiding person, as a means of interior purification, further growth in faith, and a cause for deep joy (compare Genesis 22:1; Exodus 15:25; Deuteronomy 8:2; Job 1–2; Tobit 12:14; Wisdom of Solomon 3:5; Matthew 6:13; Luke 11:4) ..."

Calduch-Benages, Núria "Amid Trials: Ben Sira 2:1 and James 1:2" in Corley, Jeremy and Vincent Skemp (eds.) Intertextual Studies in Ben Sira and Tobit: Essays in Honor of Alexander A. Di Lella (pp. 255-263) Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2005

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