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Because of her I shall have immortality, and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me.
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I shall govern peoples, and nations will be subject to me;
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dread monarchs will be afraid of me when they hear of me; among the people I shall show myself capable, and courageous in war.
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When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her; for companionship with her has no bitterness, and life with her has no pain, but gladness and joy.
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When I considered these things inwardly, and pondered in my heart that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,
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and in friendship with her, pure delight, and in the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth, and in the experience of her company, understanding, and renown in sharing her words, I went about seeking how to get her for myself.
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As a child I was naturally gifted, and a good soul fell to my lot;
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or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.
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But I perceived that I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me— and it was a mark of insight to know whose gift she was— so I appealed to the Lord and implored him, and with my whole heart I said: