Proverbs 8

The Blessings of Wisdom

8Does not ^lwisdom call?

Does not ^munderstanding raise her voice?

²On ⁿthe heights beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

³beside ^othe gates in front of ^pthe town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

⁴“To you, O ^qmen, I call,

and my cry is to ^qthe children of man.

⁵O ^rsimple ones, learn ^sprudence;

O ^tfools, learn sense.

⁶Hear, for I will speak ^unoble things,

and from my lips will come ^vwhat is right,

⁷for my ^wmouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing ^xtwisted or crooked in them.

⁹They are all ^ystraight to him who understands,

and right to those who find knowledge.

^10zTake my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than choice gold,

^11afor wisdom is better than jewels,

and ^ball that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹²“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

and I find knowledge and ^cdiscretion.

^13dThe fear of the Lord is ^ehatred of evil.

^fPride and arrogance and the way of evil

and ^gperverted speech I hate.

¹⁴I have ^hcounsel and ⁱsound wisdom;

I have insight; ^jI have strength.

¹⁵By me ^kkings reign,

and rulers decree what is just;

¹⁶by me princes rule,

and nobles, all who govern justly.¹

^17lI love those who love me,

and ^mthose who seek me diligently find me.

¹⁸ⁿRiches and honor are with me,

^oenduring wealth and ^orighteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is ^pbetter than ^qgold, even fine gold,

and my yield than ^rchoice 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.

^22s“The Lord ^tpossessed² me at the beginning of his work,³

the first of his acts ^uof old.

²³Ages ago I was ^vset up,

at the first, ^wbefore the beginning of the earth.

²⁴When there were no ^xdepths I was ^ybrought forth,

when there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains ^zhad been shaped,

^abefore 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 ^bestablished the heavens, I was there;

when he drew ^ca circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸when he ^dmade firm the skies above,

when he established⁴ the fountains of the deep,

²⁹when he ^eassigned to the sea its ^flimit,

so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out ^gthe foundations of the earth,

³⁰then ^hI was beside him, like a master workman,

and I was daily his^{5 i}delight,

rejoicing before him always,

^31jrejoicing in his ^kinhabited world

and delighting in the children of man.

³²“And now, ^lO sons, listen to me:

^mblessed are those who keep my ways.

³³ⁿHear instruction and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

^34oBlessed is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

³⁵For ^pwhoever finds me ^qfinds life

and ^robtains favor from the Lord,

³⁶but he who fails to find me ^sinjures himself;

all who ^thate me ^ulove death.”