Proverbs 8
1 You shall proclaim wisdom, that understanding may be obedient to you.
Doth not, wisdom, cry aloud? and, understanding, send forth her voice?
2 For she is on lofty eminences, and stands in the midst of the ways.
At the top of the high places above the way, at the place where paths meet, she taketh her stand:
3 For she sits by the gates of princes, and sings in the entrances, [saying],
Beside the gates, at the entrance of the city, —at the going in of the openings, she shouteth: —
4 You, O men, I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men.
Unto you, O men, I call, and, my voice, is unto the sons of men;
5 O you simple, understand subtlety, and you that are untaught, imbibe knowledge.
Understand, ye simple ones, shrewdness, and, ye dullards understand sense;
6 Listen to me; for I will speak solemn [truths]; and will produce right [sayings] from my lips.
Hear, for, princely things, will I speak, and the opening of my lips shall be of equity;
7 For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me.
For, faithfulness, shall my mouth softly utter, but, the abomination of my lips, shall be lawlessness;
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse.
In righteousness, shall be all the sayings of my mouth, nothing therein, shall be crafty or perverse;
9 They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge.
All of them, shall be plain, to them who would understand, and just, to such as would gain knowledge.
10 Receive instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than tried gold.
Receive my correction, and not silver, and knowledge, rather than choicest gold.
11 For wisdom is better than precious stones; and no valuable substance is of equal worth with it.
For better is wisdom, than ornaments of coral, and, no delightful things, can equal her.
12 I wisdom have lived [with] counsel and knowledge, and I have called upon understanding.
I, wisdom, inhabit shrewdness, —and, the knowledge of sagacious things, I gain.
13 The fear of the Lord hates unrighteousness, and insolence, and pride, and the ways of wicked men; and I hate the perverse ways of bad men.
The reverence of Yahweh, is to hate wickedness: pride, arrogance, and the way of wickedness; And a mouth of perverse things, do I hate.
14 Counsel and safety are mine; prudence is mine, and strength is mine.
Mine, are counsel, and effective working, I, am understanding, mine, is valour:
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
By me, kings reign, and dignitaries decree righteousness;
16 By me nobles become great, and monarchs by me rule over the earth.
By me, rulers govern, and nobles—all the righteous judges:
17 I love those that love me; and they that seek me shall find [me].
I love, them who love me, and, they who diligently seek me, find me:
18 Wealth and glory belong to me; yes, abundant possessions and righteousness.
Riches and honour, are with me, lordly wealth, and righteousness;
19 [It is] better to have my fruit than [to have] gold and precious stones; and my produce is better than choice silver.
Better is my fruit, than gold—yea fine gold, and mine increase, than choice silver;
20 I walk in ways of righteousness, and [am] conversant with the paths of judgement;
In the way of righteousness, I march along, in the middle of the paths of justice:
21 that I may divide substance to them that love me, and may fill their treasures with good things. If I declare to you the things that daily happen, I will remember [also] to recount the things of old.
That I may cause them who love me to inherit substance, and, their treasuries, I may fill.
22 The Lord made me the beginning of his ways for his works.
Yahweh, had constituted me the beginning of his way, before his works, at the commencement of that time;
23 He established me before time [was] in the beginning, before he made the earth:
At the outset of the ages, had I been established, in advance of the antiquities of the earth;
24 even before he made the depths; before the fountains of water came forth:
When there was no resounding deep, I had been brought forth, when there were no fountains, abounding with water;
25 before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, he begets me.
Ere yet the mountains had been settled, before the hills, had I been brought forth;
26 The Lord made countries and uninhabited [tracks], and the highest inhabited parts of the world.
Or ever he had made the land and the wastes, or the top of the dry parts of the world:
27 When he prepared the heaven, I was present with him; and when he prepared his throne upon the winds:
When he prepared the heavens, there, was I! When he decreed a vault upon the face of the resounding deep;
28 and when he strengthened the clouds above; and when he secured the fountains of the earth:
When he made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the resounding deep, waxed strong;
29 decree. and when he strengthened the foundations of the earth:
When he fixed for the sea its bound, that, the waters, should not go beyond his bidding, when he decreed the foundations of the earth: —
30 I was by him, suiting [myself to him], I was that wherein he took delight; and daily I rejoiced in his presence continually.
Then became I beside him, a firm and sure worker, then became I filled with delight, day by day, exulting before him on every occasion;
31 For he rejoiced when he had completed the world, and rejoiced amongst the children of men.
Exulting in the fruitful land of his earth, Yea, my fulness of delight, was with the sons of men.
32 Now then, [my] son, hear me: blessed is the man who shall listen to me, and the mortal who shall keep my ways;
Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, for how happy are they who, to my ways, pay regard!
33 [Hear wisdom and be wise, and be not strangers to it. ]
Hear ye correction, and be wise, and do not neglect.
34 watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my entrances.
How happy the man that doth hearken to me, —keeping guard at my doors, day by day, watching at the posts of my gates;
35 For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and [in them] is prepared favour from the Lord.
For, he that findeth me, findeth life, and hath obtained favour from Yahweh;
36 But they that sin against me act wickedly against their own souls: and they that hate me love death.
But, he that misseth me, wrongeth his own soul, all who hate me, love death.
