Proverbs 8
1 Doth not wisdom call? And understanding give forth her voice?
Doth not wisdom cry aloud, And understanding put forth her voice?
2 At the head of high places by the way, Between the paths she hath stood,
Upon the top of the high places, By the wayside, In the cross-ways, She taketh her station.
3 At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, she crieth aloud,
By the side of the gates, In the entrance of the city, In the approaches to the doors, she crieth aloud.
4 'Unto you, O men, I call, And my voice [is] unto the sons of men.
“To you, O men! do I call, And my voice is to the sons of men!
5 Understand, ye simple ones, prudence, And ye fools, understand the heart,
O ye simple ones! learn wisdom, And ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart!
6 Hearken, for noble things I speak, And the opening of my lips [is] uprightness.
Hear, for I speak excellent things, And my lips utter that which is right.
7 For truth doth my mouth utter, And an abomination to my lips [is] wickedness.
For my mouth speaketh truth, And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 In righteousness [are] all the sayings of my mouth, Nothing in them is froward and perverse.
All the words of my mouth are in uprightness; There is nothing crooked or deceitful in them;
9 All of them [are] plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge.
They are all plain to the man of understanding, And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold.
Receive my instruction, and not silver. And knowledge rather than choice gold!
11 For better [is] wisdom than rubies, Yea, all delights are not comparable with it.
For wisdom is better than pearls, And no precious things are to be compared with her.
12 I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And a knowledge of devices I find out.
“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out the knowledge of sagacious counsels.
13 The fear of Jehovah [is] to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a froward mouth, I have hated.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, And the deceitful mouth, do I hate.
14 Mine [is] counsel and substance, I [am] understanding, I have might.
Counsel is mine, and sound reason; I am understanding; I have strength.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree righteousness,
By me kings reign, And princes decree justice.
16 By me do chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of the earth.
By me princes rule, And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
17 I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly do find me.
I love them that love me, And they who seek me early shall find me.
18 Wealth and honour [are] with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.
Riches and honor are with me; Yea, durable riches and prosperity.
19 Better [is] my fruit than gold, even fine gold, And mine increase than choice silver.
My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold. And my revenue than choice silver.
20 In a path of righteousness I cause to walk, In midst of paths of judgment,
I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of equity.
21 To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Yea, their treasures I fill.
I cause those who love me to possess substance; Yea, I fill their treasuries.
22 Jehovah possessed me — the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.
“The LORD created me, the firstling of his course, Before his works, of old;
23 From the age I was anointed, from the first, From former states of the earth.
I was anointed from everlasting, From the beginning, even before the earth was made.
24 In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy [with] waters,
When as yet there were no deeps, I was brought forth. When there were no springs, abounding with water.
25 Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.
Before the mountains were settled, Yea, before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.
Ere yet he had made the land and the wastes, And the first of the clods of the earth.
27 In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep,
When he framed the heavens, I was there; When he drew a circle upon the face of the deep;
28 In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep,
When he made firm the sky above, And the fountains of the deep rushed forth;
29 In His setting for the sea its limit, And the waters transgress not His command, In His decreeing the foundations of earth,
When he gave to the sea its bounds, that the waters should not pass their border; When he marked out 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 by him as a master-builder; I was his delight day by day, Exulting before him at all times;
31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights [are] with the sons of men.
Exulting in the habitable part of his earth, And my delight was with the sons of men.
32 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, Yea, happy are they who keep my ways.
“Now, therefore, ye children, hearken to me! For happy are they who keep my ways!
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight not.
Hear instruction, and be wise! Yea, reject it not!
34 O the happiness of the man hearkening to me, To watch at my doors day by day, To watch at the door-posts of my entrance.
Happy the man who hearkeneth to me, Who watcheth day by day at my gates, Who waiteth at the posts of my doors;
35 For whoso is finding me, hath found life, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah.
For he that findeth me findeth life, And obtaineth favor from the LORD;
36 And whoso is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!
But he who misseth me doeth violence to himself; All they who hate me love death.”
