Proverbs 8
1 Doth not, wisdom, cry aloud? and, understanding, send forth her voice?
Does not wisdom call out, and understanding raise her voice?
2 At the top of the high places above the way, at the place where paths meet, she taketh her stand:
On the heights overlooking the road, at the crossroads she takes her stand.
3 Beside the gates, at the entrance of the city, —at the going in of the openings, she shouteth: —
Beside the gates to the city, at the entrances she cries out:
4 Unto you, O men, I call, and, my voice, is unto the sons of men;
“To you, O men, I call out, and my cry is to the sons of men.
5 Understand, ye simple ones, shrewdness, and, ye dullards understand sense;
O simple ones, learn to be shrewd; O fools, gain understanding.
6 Hear, for, princely things, will I speak, and the opening of my lips shall be of equity;
Listen, for I speak of noble things, and the opening of my lips will reveal right.
7 For, faithfulness, shall my mouth softly utter, but, the abomination of my lips, shall be lawlessness;
For my mouth will speak the truth, and wickedness is detestable to my lips.
8 In righteousness, shall be all the sayings of my mouth, nothing therein, shall be crafty or perverse;
All the words of my mouth are righteous; none are crooked or perverse.
9 All of them, shall be plain, to them who would understand, and just, to such as would gain knowledge.
They are all plain to the discerning, and upright to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my correction, and not silver, and knowledge, rather than choicest gold.
Receive my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.
11 For better is wisdom, than ornaments of coral, and, no delightful things, can equal her.
For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her.
12 I, wisdom, inhabit shrewdness, —and, the knowledge of sagacious things, I gain.
I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The reverence of Yahweh, is to hate wickedness: pride, arrogance, and the way of wickedness; And a mouth of perverse things, do I hate.
To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
14 Mine, are counsel, and effective working, I, am understanding, mine, is valour:
Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength.
15 By me, kings reign, and dignitaries decree righteousness;
By me kings reign, and rulers enact just laws;
16 By me, rulers govern, and nobles—all the righteous judges:
By me princes rule, and all nobles who govern justly.
17 I love, them who love me, and, they who diligently seek me, find me:
I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me.
18 Riches and honour, are with me, lordly wealth, and righteousness;
With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 Better is my fruit, than gold—yea fine gold, and mine increase, than choice silver;
My fruit is better than gold, pure gold, and my harvest surpasses choice silver.
20 In the way of righteousness, I march along, in the middle of the paths of justice:
I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause them who love me to inherit substance, and, their treasuries, I may fill.
bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.
22 Yahweh, had constituted me the beginning of his way, before his works, at the commencement of that time;
The LORD created me as His first course, before His works of old.
23 At the outset of the ages, had I been established, in advance of the antiquities of the earth;
From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, before the earth began.
24 When there was no resounding deep, I had been brought forth, when there were no fountains, abounding with water;
When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water.
25 Ere yet the mountains had been settled, before the hills, had I been brought forth;
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 Or ever he had made the land and the wastes, or the top of the dry parts of the world:
before He made the land or fields, or any of the dust of the earth.
27 When he prepared the heavens, there, was I! When he decreed a vault upon the face of the resounding deep;
I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When he made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the resounding deep, waxed strong;
when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth,
29 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: —
when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 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;
Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side, and His delight day by day, rejoicing always in His presence.
31 Exulting in the fruitful land of his earth, Yea, my fulness of delight, was with the sons of men.
I was rejoicing in His whole world, delighting together in the sons of men.
32 Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, for how happy are they who, to my ways, pay regard!
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear ye correction, and be wise, and do not neglect.
Listen to instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.
34 How happy the man that doth hearken to me, —keeping guard at my doors, day by day, watching at the posts of my gates;
Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my doorway.
35 For, he that findeth me, findeth life, and hath obtained favour from Yahweh;
For whoever finds me finds life and obtains the favor of the LORD.
36 But, he that misseth me, wrongeth his own soul, all who hate me, love death.
But he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
