Proverbs 8:1–36

WISDOM’S APPEAL

8Doesn’t wisdom^b call out?

Doesn’t understanding make her voice heard?

²At the heights overlooking the road,

at the crossroads, she takes her stand.

³Beside the gates^c leading into the city,

at the main entrance, she cries out:

⁴“People, I call out to you;

my cry is to the children of Adam.

⁵Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced;

develop common sense, you who are foolish.

⁶Listen, for I speak of noble things,

and what my lips say is right.

⁷For my mouth tells the truth,^d

and wickedness is detestable to my lips.

⁸All the words from my mouth are righteous;

none of them are deceptive or perverse.^e

⁹All of them are clear to the perceptive,^f

and right to those who discover knowledge.

¹⁰Accept my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than pure gold.^g

¹¹For wisdom is better than jewels,^h

and nothing desirable can equal it.ⁱ

¹²I, wisdom, share a home with shrewdness

and have knowledge and discretion.^j

¹³To fear the Lord is to hate evil.^k

I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct,

and perverse speech.

¹⁴I possess good advice and sound wisdom;^B

I have understanding and strength.^l

¹⁵It is by me that kings reign^m

and rulers enact just law;

¹⁶by me, princes lead,

as do nobles and all righteous judges.^C

¹⁷I love those who love me,ⁿ

and those who search for me find me.^o

¹⁸With me are riches and honor,^p

lasting wealth and righteousness.^q

¹⁹My fruit is better than solid gold,

and my harvest than pure silver.^r

²⁰I walk in the ways of righteousness,

along the paths of justice,

²¹giving wealth as an inheritance to those who love me,

and filling their treasuries.

²²“The Lord acquired^D me

at the beginning of his creation,^E

before his works of long ago.^s

²³I was formed^A before ancient times,

from the beginning, before the earth began.^t

²⁴I was born

when there were no watery depths^u

and no springs filled with water.

²⁵Before the mountains

were established, prior to the hills,^v I was given birth—

²⁶before he made the land, the fields,

or the first soil on earth.

²⁷I was there when he established the heavens,^w

when he laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,^x

²⁸when he placed the skies above,

when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,

²⁹when he set a limit for the sea

so that the waters would not violate his command,^y

when he laid out the foundations of the earth.^z

³⁰I was a skilled craftsman^B beside him.^aa

I was his^C delight every day,

always rejoicing before him.

³¹I was rejoicing in his inhabited world,^ab

delighting in the children of Adam.^ac

³²“And now, sons, listen to me;

those who keep my ways are happy.^ad

³³Listen to instruction and be wise;^ae

don’t ignore it.

³⁴Anyone who listens to me is happy,^af

watching at my doors every day,

waiting by the posts of my doorway.

³⁵For the one who finds me finds life^ag

and obtains favor from the Lord,^ah

³⁶but the one who misses me^D harms himself;^a

all who hate me love death.”^b