Proverbs 8
1 Does wisdom not call? And understanding give forth her voice?
Doth not wisedome crie? and vnderstanding vtter her voyce?
2 At the head of high places by the way, She has stood between the paths,
She standeth in the top of the high places by the way in the place of the paths.
3 At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, she cries aloud,
She cryeth besides the gates before the citie at the entrie of the doores,
4 “To you, O men, I call, And my voice [is] to the sons of men.
O men, I call vnto you, and vtter my voyce to the children of men.
5 Understand, you simple ones, prudence, And you fools, understand the heart,
O ye foolish men, vnderstand wisedome, and ye, O fooles, be wise in heart.
6 Listen, for I speak noble things, And the opening of my lips [is] uprightness.
Giue eare, for I will speake of excellent things, and the opening of my lippes, shall teache things that be right.
7 For my mouth utters truth, And wickedness [is] an abomination to my lips.
For my mouth shall speake the trueth, and my lippes abhorre wickednesse.
8 All the sayings of my mouth [are] in righteousness, Nothing in them is contrary and perverse.
All the wordes of my mouth are righteous: there is no lewdenes, nor frowardnesse in them.
9 All of them [are] plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge.
They are all plaine to him that will vnderstande, and streight to them that woulde finde knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold.
Receiue mine instruction, and not siluer, and knowledge rather then fine golde.
11 For wisdom [is] better than rubies, Indeed, all delights are not comparable with it.
For wisdome is better then precious stones: and all pleasures are not to be compared vnto her.
12 I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And I find out a knowledge of purposes.
I wisdome dwell with prudence, and I find foorth knowledge and counsels.
13 The fear of YHWH [is] to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a contrary mouth, I have hated.
The feare of the Lord is to hate euill as pride, and arrogancie, and the euill way: and a mouth that speaketh lewde things, I doe hate.
14 Counsel and substance [are] mine, I [am] understanding, I have might.
I haue counsell and wisedome: I am vnderstanding, and I haue strength.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree righteousness,
By me, Kings reigne, and princes decree iustice.
16 By me chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of earth.
By me princes rule and the nobles, and all the iudges of the earth.
17 I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly find me.
I loue them that loue me: and they that seeke me earely, shall finde me.
18 Wealth and honor [are] with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.
Riches and honour are with me: euen durable riches and righteousnesse.
19 My fruit [is] better than gold, even fine gold, And my increase than choice silver.
My fruite is better then golde, euen then fine golde, and my reuenues better then fine siluer.
20 I cause to walk in a path of righteousness, In midst of paths of judgment,
I cause to walke in the way of righteousnes, and in the middes of the paths of iudgement,
21 To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Indeed, I fill their treasures.
That I may cause them that loue me, to inherite substance, and I will fill their treasures.
22 YHWH possessed me—the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.
The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way: I was before his workes of olde.
23 I was anointed from the age, from the first, From former states of the earth.
I was set vp from euerlasting, from the beginning and before the earth.
24 In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy [with] waters,
When there were no depths, was I begotten, when there were no fountaines abounding with water.
25 Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.
Before the mountaines were setled: and before the hilles, was I begotten.
26 While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.
He had not yet made the earth, nor the open places, nor the height of the dust in the worlde.
27 In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep,
When hee prepared the heauens, I was there, when he set the compasse vpon the deepe.
28 In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep,
When he established the cloudes aboue, when he confirmed the fountaines of the deepe,
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 gaue his decree to the Sea, that the waters shoulde not passe his commandement: when he appointed the foundations 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 was I with him as a nourisher, and I was dayly his delight reioycing alway before him,
31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights [are] with the sons of men.
And tooke my solace in the compasse of his earth: and my delite is with the children of men.
32 And now, you sons, listen to me, Indeed, blessed are they who keep my ways.
Therefore nowe hearken, O children, vnto me: for blessed are they that keepe my wayes.
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and do not slight.
Heare instruction, and be ye wise, and refuse it not:
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.
blessed is the man that heareth mee, watching dayly at my gates, and giuing attendance at the postes of my doores.
35 For whoever is finding me, has found life, And brings out goodwill from YHWH.
For he that findeth me, findeth life, and shall obteine fauour of the Lord.
36 And whoever is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!”
But he that sinneth against me, hurteth his owne soule: and all that hate me, loue death.
