Proverbs 8:1-36 (New American Standard)

The Commendation of Wisdom

1 Does not ¹wisdom call, And understanding ^alift up her voice ? 2 On top of ²the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, she takes her stand ; 3 Beside the ³gates, 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 ^b4naive ones, understand prudence ; And, O ⁵fools, understand ^cwisdom. 6 "Listen, for I will speak ⁶noble things ; And the opening of my lips will reveal ⁷right things. 7 "For my ⁸mouth will utter truth ; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 "All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness ; There is nothing ⁹crooked or perverted in them. 9 "They are all ¹⁰straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who ¹¹find knowledge. 10 "Take my ¹²instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold. 11 "For wisdom is ¹³better than ^djewels ; And ¹⁴all desirable things cannot compare with her. 12 "I, wisdom, ¹⁵dwell with prudence, And I find ¹⁶knowledge and discretion. 13 "The ¹⁷fear of the LORD is to hate evil ; ¹⁸Pride and arrogance and ¹⁹the evil way And the ²⁰perverted mouth, I hate. 14 "²¹Counsel is mine and ²²sound wisdom ; I am understanding, ²³power is mine. 15 "By me ²⁴kings reign, And rulers decree justice. 16 "By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly. 17 "I ²⁵love those who love me; And ²⁶those who diligently seek me will find me. 18 "²⁷Riches and honor are with me, Enduring ²⁸wealth and righteousness. 19 "My fruit is ²⁹better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than ³⁰choicest 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 ³¹fill their treasuries. 22 "The LORD possessed me ³²at the beginning of His way, Before His works ^eof old. 23 "From everlasting I was ^f33established, From the beginning, ³⁴from the earliest times of the earth. 24 "When there were no ³⁵depths I was ^gbrought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water. 25 "³⁶Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was ^hbrought forth ; 26 While He had not yet made the earth and the ⁱfields, Nor the first dust of the world. 27 "When He ³⁷established the heavens, I was there, When ³⁸He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, 28 When He made firm the skies above , When the springs of the deep became ^jfixed, 29 When ³⁹He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His ^kcommand, When He marked out ⁴⁰the foundations of the earth ; 30 Then ⁴¹I was beside Him, as a master workman ; And I was daily His delight, ^lRejoicing always before Him, 31 ^mRejoicing in the world, His earth, And having ⁴²my delight in the sons of men. 32 "Now therefore, O sons, ⁴³listen to me, For ⁴⁴blessed are they who keep my ways. 33 "⁴⁵Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it. 34 "⁴⁶Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts. 35 "For ⁴⁷he who finds me finds life And ⁴⁸obtains favor from the LORD. 36 "But he who ⁿsins against me ⁴⁹injures himself ; All those who ⁵⁰hate me ⁵¹love death."