Proverbs 8
1 Does wisdom not call? And understanding give forth her voice?
Is not wisdom crying out, and the voice of knowledge sounding?
2 At the head of high places by the way, She has stood between the paths,
At the top of the highways, at the meeting of the roads, she takes her place;
3 At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, she cries aloud,
Where the roads go into the town her cry goes out, at the doorways her voice is loud:
4 “To you, O men, I call, And my voice [is] to the sons of men.
I am crying out to you, O men; my voice comes to the sons of men.
5 Understand, you simple ones, prudence, And you fools, understand the heart,
Become expert in reason, O you simple ones; you foolish ones, take training to heart.
6 Listen, for I speak noble things, And the opening of my lips [is] uprightness.
Give ear, for my words are true, and my lips are open to give out what is upright.
7 For my mouth utters truth, And wickedness [is] an abomination to my lips.
For good faith goes out of my mouth, and false lips are disgusting to me.
8 All the sayings of my mouth [are] in righteousness, Nothing in them is contrary and perverse.
All the words of my mouth are righteousness; there is nothing false or twisted in them.
9 All of them [are] plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge.
They are all true to him whose mind is awake, and straightforward to those who get knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold.
Take my teaching, and not silver; get knowledge in place of the best gold.
11 For wisdom [is] better than rubies, Indeed, all delights are not comparable with it.
For wisdom is better than jewels, and all things which may be desired are nothing in comparison with her.
12 I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And I find out a knowledge of purposes.
I, wisdom, have made wise behaviour my near relation; I am seen to be the special friend of wise purposes.
13 The fear of YHWH [is] to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a contrary mouth, I have hated.
The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me.
14 Counsel and substance [are] mine, I [am] understanding, I have might.
Wise design and good sense are mine; reason and strength are mine.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree righteousness,
Through me kings have their power, and rulers give right decisions.
16 By me chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of earth.
Through me chiefs have authority, and the noble ones are judging in righteousness.
17 I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly find me.
Those who have given me their love are loved by me, and those who make search for me with care will get me.
18 Wealth and honor [are] with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.
Wealth and honour are in my hands, even wealth without equal and righteousness.
19 My fruit [is] better than gold, even fine gold, And my increase than choice silver.
My fruit is better than gold, even than the best gold; and my increase is more to be desired than silver.
20 I cause to walk in a path of righteousness, In midst of paths of judgment,
I go in the road of righteousness, in the way of right judging:
21 To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Indeed, I fill their treasures.
So that I may give my lovers wealth for their heritage, making their store-houses full.
22 YHWH possessed me—the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.
The Lord made me as the start of his way, the first of his works in the past.
23 I was anointed from the age, from the first, From former states of the earth.
From eternal days I was given my place, from the birth of time, before the earth was.
24 In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy [with] waters,
When there was no deep I was given birth, when there were no fountains flowing with water.
25 Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.
Before the mountains were put in their places, before the hills was my birth:
26 While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.
When he had not made the earth or the fields or the dust of the world.
27 In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep,
When he made ready the heavens I was there: when he put an arch over the face of the deep:
28 In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep,
When he made strong the skies overhead: when the fountains of the deep were fixed:
29 In His setting for the sea its limit, And the waters do not transgress His command, In His decreeing the foundations of earth,
When he put a limit to the sea, so that the waters might not go against his word: when he put in position the bases of the earth:
30 Then I am near Him, a workman, And I am a delight—day by day. Rejoicing before Him at all times,
Then I was by his side, as a master workman: and I was his delight from day to day, playing before him at all times;
31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights [are] with the sons of men.
Playing in his earth; and my delight was with the sons of men.
32 And now, you sons, listen to me, Indeed, blessed are they who keep my ways.
Give ear to me then, my sons: for happy are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and do not slight.
Take my teaching and be wise; do not let it go.
34 O the blessedness of the man listening to me, To watch at my doors day by day, To watch at the doorposts of my entrance.
Happy is the man who gives ear to me, watching at my doors day by day, keeping his place by the pillars of my house.
35 For whoever is finding me, has found life, And brings out goodwill from YHWH.
For whoever gets me gets life, and grace from the Lord will come to him.
36 And whoever is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!”
But he who does evil to me, does wrong to his soul: all my haters are in love with death.
