8 Doth not abwisdom cry?

And bunderstanding aput forth her voice?

2  She standeth in the top of chigh places, by the way

In the places of the paths.

3  She acrieth at the dgates, at the entry of cethe city,

At the coming in at the doors.

4  Unto you, O men, I call;

And my voice is to the sons of man.

5  O ye fsimple, understand fwisdom:

And, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

6  Hear; for I will speak of gexcellent things;

And the opening of my lips shall be hright things.

7  For my imouth shall kspeak truth;

And wickedness is †an abomination to my lips.

8  All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing †lfroward or lperverse in them.

9  They are all mplain to him that understandeth,

And right to them that find knowledge.

10  Receive my instruction, and not silver;

And knowledge rather than nchoice gold.

11  oFor wisdom is better than prubies;

And qall the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

12  I rwisdom dwell with ||prudence,

And find out knowledge of switty inventions.

13  tThe fear of the Lord is to uhate evil:

xPride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,

And ythe froward mouth, do I hate.

14  zCounsel is mine, and asound wisdom:

I am understanding; bI have strength.

15  cBy me kings reign,

And dprinces decree justice.

16  By me princes rule,

And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

17  eI love them that love me;

And fthose that gseek me early shall find me.

18  hiRiches and honour are with me;

Yea, durable iriches and irighteousness.

19  My fruit is jbetter than kgold, yea, than lfine gold;

And jmy revenue than kchoice silver.

20  I ||lead in the way of righteousness,

In the midst of the paths of judgment:

21  That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance;

And I will fill their treasures.

22  mThe Lord npossessed me oin pthe beginning of his way,

Before his works qof old.

23  I was rset up from everlasting, from the beginning,

sOr ever the earth was.

24  When there were no tdepths, I was ubrought forth;

When there were no fountains abounding with water.

25  Before the mountains vwere settled,

wBefore the hills was I ubrought forth:

26  While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the ||fields,

Nor ||the xhighest part of the dust of the world.

27  When he yprepared the heavens, I was there:

When he zset ||a compass upon the face of the tdepth:

28  When he established the clouds above:

When he strengthened the fountains of the tdeep:

29  aWhen he gave to the sea bhis decree,

That the waters should not pass his commandment:

When he zappointed cthe foundations of the earth:

30  dThen I was by him, as eone brought up with him:

And I was daily his fdelight,

gRejoicing always before him;

31  gRejoicing in hthe habitable part of his earth;

And my fdelights were iwith the sons of men.

32  jNow therefore hearken unto me, O ye children:

For kblessed are they that keep my ways.

33  lHear instruction, and be wise,

And mrefuse it not.

34  nBlessed is the man othat heareth me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

35  For whoso nfindeth me oofindeth life,

And shall †obtain favour of the Lord.

36  But he that psinneth against me qwrongeth his own soul:

All they that rhate me slove death.