1: Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice? 2: On the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she standeth; 3: Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud: 4: Unto you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of men. 5: O ye simple, understand prudence; And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart. 6: Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7: For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8: All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverse in them. 9: They are all plain to him that understandeth, And right to them that find knowledge. 10: Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold. 11: For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it. 12: I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling, And find out knowledge [and] discretion. 13: The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate. 14: Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge: I am understanding; I have might. 15: By me kings reign, And princes decree justice. 16: By me princes rule, And nobles, [even] all the judges of the earth. 17: I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me. 18: Riches and honor are with me; [Yea], durable wealth and righteousness. 19: My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver. 20: I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice; 21: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries. 22: Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23: I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24: When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25: Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27: When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28: When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29: When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30: Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31: Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men. 32: Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me; For blessed are they that keep my ways. 33: Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not. 34: Blessed is the man that heareth me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. 35: For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favor of Jehovah. 36: But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death.
