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