1: Doth not wisdom call? And understanding give forth her voice? 2: At the head of high places by the way, Between the paths she hath stood, 3: At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, she crieth aloud, 4: 'Unto you, O men, I call, And my voice [is] unto the sons of men. 5: Understand, ye simple ones, prudence, And ye fools, understand the heart, 6: Hearken, for noble things I speak, And the opening of my lips [is] uprightness. 7: For truth doth my mouth utter, And an abomination to my lips [is] wickedness. 8: In righteousness [are] all the sayings of my mouth, Nothing in them is froward and perverse. 9: All of them [are] plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge. 10: Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold. 11: For better [is] wisdom than rubies, Yea, all delights are not comparable with it. 12: I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And a knowledge of devices I find out. 13: The fear of Jehovah [is] to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a froward mouth, I have hated. 14: Mine [is] counsel and substance, I [am] understanding, I have might. 15: By me kings reign, and princes decree righteousness, 16: By me do chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of the earth. 17: I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly do find me. 18: Wealth and honour [are] with me, Lasting substance and righteousness. 19: Better [is] my fruit than gold, even fine gold, And mine increase than choice silver. 20: In a path of righteousness I cause to walk, In midst of paths of judgment, 21: To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Yea, their treasures I fill. 22: Jehovah possessed me -- the beginning of His way, Before His works since then. 23: From the age I was anointed, from the first, From former states of the earth. 24: In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy [with] waters, 25: Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth. 26: While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world. 27: In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep, 28: In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep, 29: In His setting for the sea its limit, And the waters transgress not His command, In His decreeing the foundations of earth, 30: Then I am near Him, a workman, And I am a delight -- day by day. Rejoicing before Him at all times, 31: Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights [are] with the sons of men. 32: And now, ye sons, hearken to me, Yea, happy are they who keep my ways. 33: Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight not. 34: O the happiness of the man hearkening to me, To watch at my doors day by day, To watch at the door-posts of my entrance. 35: For whoso is finding me, hath found life, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah. 36: And whoso is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!
