1 The Blessing of Wisdom Does not wisdom call,And discernment give forth her voice?
2 At the top of the heights upon the way,Where the pathways meet, she takes her stand;
3 Beside the gates, at the opening to the city,At the entrance of the doors, she makes a shout:
4 “To you, O men, I call,And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 “O simple ones, understand prudence;And, O fools, understand a heartof wisdom.
6 “Listen, for I will speak noble things;And the opening of my lipswill revealupright things.
7 “For my mouth will utter truth;And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;There is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9 “They are all straightforward to him who understands,And right to those who find knowledge.
10 “Take my discipline and not silver,And knowledge rather than choicest fine gold.
11 “For wisdom is better than pearls;And all desirable things cannot compare with her.
12 ¶“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,And I find knowledgeanddiscretion.
13 “The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil;Pride and arrogance and the evil wayAnd the mouth of 8:13 Lit perversities pervertedwords, I hate.
14 “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;I am understanding, might is mine.
15 “By me kings reign,And rulers mark out righteousness.
16 “By me princes rule, and nobles,All who judge rightly.
17 “I love those who love me;And those who earnestly seek me will find me.
18 “Riches and glory are with me,Enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 “My fruit is better than fine gold, even pure gold,And my producebetterthan choice silver.
20 “I walk in the path of righteousness,In the midst of the pathways of justice,
21 To give those who love me an inheritance of wealth,That I may fill their treasuries.
22 ¶“Yahweh possessed me at the beginning of His way,Before His deeds 8:22Lit from then of old.
23 “From everlasting I was 8:23 Or consecrated installed,From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
24 “When there were no depths I was 8:24 Or born brought forth,When there were no springs heavy with water.
25 “Before the mountains were settled,Before the hills I was 8:25 Or born brought forth;
26 While He had not yet made the earth and thefieldsoutside,Nor the first dust of the world.
27 “When He established the heavens, I was there,When He marked out a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He made firm the skies above,When the springs of the deep became strong,
29 When He set for the sea its boundarySo that the water would not pass over His 8:29 Lit mouth command,When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
30 Then I was beside Him,asa master workman;And I was a daily delight, 8:30Or Playing Rejoicing always before Him,
31 8:31 Or Playing Rejoicing in the world, His earth,My delightisin the sons of men.
32 ¶“So now, O sons, listen to me,For blessed are they who keep my ways.
33 “Hear discipline and be wise,And do not neglectit.
34 “How blessed is the man who hears me,To watch daily at my doors,To keep watch at my doorposts.
35 “For he who finds me finds lifeAnd obtains favor from Yahweh.
36 “But he who 8:36Or misses me sins against me does violence to his own soul;All those who hate me love death.”