Proverbs 8
1 Doth not wisdom cry aloud, and prudence put forth her voice?
Doth not, wisdom, cry aloud? and, understanding, send forth her voice?
2 Standing in the top of the highest places by the way, in the midst of the paths.
At the top of the high places above the way, at the place where paths meet, she taketh her stand:
3 Beside the gates of the city, in the very doors she speaketh, saying:
Beside the gates, at the entrance of the city, —at the going in of the openings, she shouteth: —
4 O ye men, to you I call, and my voice is to the sons of men.
Unto you, O men, I call, and, my voice, is unto the sons of men;
5 O little ones, understand subtilty, and ye unwise, take notice.
Understand, ye simple ones, shrewdness, and, ye dullards understand sense;
6 Hear, for I will speak of great things: and my lips shall be opened to preach right things.
Hear, for, princely things, will I speak, and the opening of my lips shall be of equity;
7 My mouth shall meditate truth, and my lips shall hate wickedness.
For, faithfulness, shall my mouth softly utter, but, the abomination of my lips, shall be lawlessness;
8 All my words are just, there is nothing wicked nor perverse in them.
In righteousness, shall be all the sayings of my mouth, nothing therein, shall be crafty or perverse;
9 They are right to them that understand, and just to them that find knowledge.
All of them, shall be plain, to them who would understand, and just, to such as would gain knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not money: choose knowledge rather than gold.
Receive my correction, and not silver, and knowledge, rather than choicest gold.
11 For wisdom is better than all the most precious things: and whatsoever may be desired cannot be compared to it.
For better is wisdom, than ornaments of coral, and, no delightful things, can equal her.
12 I wisdom dwell in counsel, and am present in learned thoughts.
I, wisdom, inhabit shrewdness, —and, the knowledge of sagacious things, I gain.
13 The fear of the Lord hateth evil: I hate arrogance, and pride, and every wicked way, and a mouth with a double tongue.
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 equity is mine, prudence is mine, strength is mine.
Mine, are counsel, and effective working, I, am understanding, mine, is valour:
15 By me kings reign, and lawgivers decree just things,
By me, kings reign, and dignitaries decree righteousness;
16 By me princes rule, and the mighty decree justice.
By me, rulers govern, and nobles—all the righteous judges:
17 I love them that love me: and they that in the morning early watch for me, shall find me.
I love, them who love me, and, they who diligently seek me, find me:
18 With me are riches and glory, glorious riches and justice.
Riches and honour, are with me, lordly wealth, and righteousness;
19 For my fruit is better than gold and the precious stone, and my blossoms than choice silver.
Better is my fruit, than gold—yea fine gold, and mine increase, than choice silver;
20 I walk in the way of justice, in the midst of the paths of judgment,
In the way of righteousness, I march along, in the middle of the paths of justice:
21 That I may enrich them that love me, and may fill their treasures.
That I may cause them who love me to inherit substance, and, their treasuries, I may fill.
22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he made any thing from the beginning.
Yahweh, had constituted me the beginning of his way, before his works, at the commencement of that time;
23 I was set up from eternity, and of old before the earth was made.
At the outset of the ages, had I been established, in advance of the antiquities of the earth;
24 The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived. neither had the fountains of waters as yet sprung out:
When there was no resounding deep, I had been brought forth, when there were no fountains, abounding with water;
25 The mountains with their huge bulk had not as yet been established: before the hills I was brought forth:
Ere yet the mountains had been settled, before the hills, had I been brought forth;
26 He had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers, nor the poles 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 heavens, I was present: when with a certain law and compass he enclosed the depths:
When he prepared the heavens, there, was I! When he decreed a vault upon the face of the resounding deep;
28 When he established the sky above, and poised the fountains of waters:
When he made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the resounding deep, waxed strong;
29 When he compassed the sea with its bounds, and set a law to the waters that they should not pass their limits: when be balanced 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 with him forming all things: and was delighted every day, playing before him at all times;
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 Playing in the world: and my delights were to be with 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 therefore, ye children, hear me: Blessed are they that keep my ways.
Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, for how happy are they who, to my ways, pay regard!
33 Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not.
Hear ye correction, and be wise, and do not neglect.
34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors.
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 He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord:
For, he that findeth me, findeth life, and hath obtained favour from Yahweh;
36 But he that shall sin against me, shall hurt his own soul. All that hate me love death.
But, he that misseth me, wrongeth his own soul, all who hate me, love death.
