Chapter 8

The Commendation of Wisdom

1 Does not awisdom call,

And understanding 1lift up her voice?

2 On top of athe heights beside the way,

Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

3 Beside the agates, at the opening to the city,

At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

4 “To you, O men, I call,

And my voice is to the sons of men.

5 “O 1anaive ones, understand prudence;

And, O bfools, understand 2wisdom.

6 “Listen, for I will speak anoble things;

And the opening of my lips will reveal bright things.

7 “For my amouth will utter truth;

And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8 “All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing acrooked or perverted in them.

9 “They are all astraightforward to him who understands,

And right to those who bfind knowledge.

10 “Take my ainstruction and not silver,

And knowledge rather than choicest gold.

11 “For wisdom is abetter than 1jewels;

And ball desirable things cannot compare with her.

12 “I, wisdom, adwell with prudence,

And I find bknowledge and discretion.

13 “The afear of the Lord is to hate evil;

bPride and arrogance and cthe evil way

And the dperverted mouth, I hate.

14 “aCounsel is mine and bsound wisdom;

I am understanding, cpower is mine.

15 “By me akings reign,

And rulers decree justice.

16 “By me princes rule, and nobles,

All who judge rightly.

17 “I alove those who love me;

And bthose who diligently seek me will find me.

18 “aRiches and honor are with me,

Enduring bwealth and righteousness.

19 “My fruit is abetter than gold, even pure gold,

And my yield better than bchoicest silver.

20 “I walk in the way of righteousness,

In the midst of the paths of justice,

21 To endow those who love me with wealth,

That I may afill their treasuries.

22 “The Lord possessed me aat the beginning of His way,

Before His works 1of old.

23 “From everlasting I was 1aestablished,

From the beginning, bfrom the earliest times of the earth.

24 “When there were no adepths I was 1brought forth,

When there were no springs abounding with water.

25 “aBefore the mountains were settled,

Before the hills I was 1brought forth;

26 While He had not yet made the earth and the 1fields,

Nor the first dust of the world.

27 “When He aestablished the heavens, I was there,

When bHe inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

28 When He made firm the skies above,

When the springs of the deep became 1fixed,

29 When aHe set for the sea its boundary

So that the water would not transgress His 1command,

When He marked out bthe foundations of the earth;

30 Then aI was beside Him, as a master workman;

And I was daily His delight,

1Rejoicing always before Him,

31 1Rejoicing in the world, His earth,

And having amy delight in the sons of men.

32 “Now therefore, O sons, alisten to me,

For bblessed are they who keep my ways.

33 “aHeed instruction and be wise,

And do not neglect it.

34 “aBlessed is the man who listens to me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at my doorposts.

35 “For ahe who finds me finds life

And bobtains favor from the Lord.

36 “But he who 1sins against me ainjures himself;

All those who bhate me clove death.”