Proverbs 8

¹Does not wisdom call ? Does not understanding raise her voice ?

²On the heights beside the way , at the crossroads she takes her stand ;

³beside the gates in front of the town , at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud :

⁴To you, O men , I call , and my cry is to the children of man .

⁵O simple ones , learn prudence ; O fools , learn sense .

⁶Hear , for I will speak noble things , and from my lips will come what is right ,

⁷for my mouth will utter truth ; wickedness is an abomination to my lips .

⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous ; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

⁹They are all straight to him who understands , and right to those who find knowledge .

¹⁰Take my instruction instead of silver , and knowledge rather than choice gold ,

¹¹for wisdom is better than jewels , and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹²I , wisdom , dwell with prudence , and I find knowledge and discretion .

¹³The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil . Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate .

¹⁴I have counsel and sound wisdom ; I have insight ; I have strength .

¹⁵By me kings reign , and rulers decree what is just ;

¹⁶by me princes rule , and nobles , all who govern justly .

¹⁷I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

¹⁸Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness .

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold , even fine gold , and my yield than choice silver .

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness , in the paths of justice ,

²¹granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries .

²²The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work , the first of his acts of old .

²³Ages ago I was set up , at the first , before the beginning of the earth .

²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth , when there were no springs abounding with water .

²⁵Before the mountains had been shaped , before the hills , I was brought forth ,

²⁶before he had made the earth with its fields , or the first of the dust of the world .

²⁷When he established the heavens , I was there ; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep ,

²⁸when he made firm the skies above , when he established the fountains of the deep ,

²⁹when he assigned to the sea its limit , so that the waters might not transgress his command , when he marked out the foundations of the earth ,

³⁰then I was beside him , like a master workman , and I was daily his delight , rejoicing before him always ,

³¹rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man .

³²And now , O sons , listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways .

³³Hear instruction and be wise , and do not neglect it.

³⁴Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates , waiting beside my doors .

³⁵For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord,

³⁶but he who fails to find me injures himself ; all who hate me love death .