Proverbs 8
- 1 Doth not wisdom call? And understanding give forth her voice?
- 2 At the head of high places by the way, Between the paths she hath stood,
- 3 At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, she crieth aloud,
- 4 'Unto you, O men, I call, And my voice [is] unto the sons of men.
- 5 Understand, ye simple ones, prudence, And ye fools, understand the heart,
- 6 Hearken, for noble things I speak, And the opening of my lips [is] uprightness.
- 7 For truth doth my mouth utter, And an abomination to my lips [is] wickedness.
- 8 In righteousness [are] all the sayings of my mouth, Nothing in them is froward and perverse.
- 9 All of them [are] plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge.
- 10 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.
- 12 I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And a knowledge of devices I find out.
- 13 The fear of Jehovah [is] to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a froward mouth, I have hated.
- 14 Mine [is] counsel and substance, I [am] understanding, I have might.
- 15 By me kings reign, and princes decree righteousness,
- 16 By me do chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of the earth.
- 17 I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly do find me.
- 18 Wealth and honour [are] with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.
- 19 Better [is] my fruit than gold, even fine gold, And mine increase than choice silver.
- 20 In a path of righteousness I cause to walk, In midst of paths of judgment,
- 21 To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Yea, their treasures I fill.
- 22 Jehovah possessed me — the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.
- 23 From the age I was anointed, from the first, From former states of the earth.
- 24 In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy [with] waters,
- 25 Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.
- 26 While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.
- 27 In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep,
- 28 In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep,
- 29 In His setting for the sea its limit, And the waters transgress not His command, In His decreeing the foundations of earth,
- 30 Then I am near Him, a workman, And I am a delight — day by day. Rejoicing before Him at all times,
- 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights [are] with the sons of men.
- 32 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, Yea, happy are they who keep my ways.
- 33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight 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.
- 35 For whoso is finding me, hath found life, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah.
- 36 And whoso is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!
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