Proverbs 8

¹Doth not wisdom cry,

And understanding put forth her voice?

²On the top of high places by the way,

Where the paths meet, she standeth;

³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,

At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:

⁴Unto you, O men, I call;

And my voice is to the sons of men.

⁵O ye simple, understand prudence;

And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.

⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things;

And the opening of my lips shall be right things.

⁷For my mouth shall utter truth;

And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

⁹They are all plain to him that understandeth,

And right to them that find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction, and not silver;

And knowledge rather than choice gold.

¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies;

And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.

¹²I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling,

And find out knowledge and discretion.

¹³The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil:

Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,

And the perverse mouth, do I hate.

¹⁴Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge:

I am understanding; I have might.

¹⁵By me kings reign,

And princes decree justice.

¹⁶By me princes rule,

And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

¹⁷I love them that love me;

And those that seek me diligently shall find me.

¹⁸Riches and honor are with me;

Yea, durable wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;

And my revenue than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,

In the midst of the paths of justice;

²¹That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance,

And that I may fill their treasuries.

²²Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way,

Before his works of old.

²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,

Before the earth was.

²⁴When there were no depths, I was brought forth,

When there were no fountains abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled,

Before the hills was I brought forth;

²⁶While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,

Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there:

When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,

²⁸When he made firm the skies above,

When the fountains of the deep became strong,

²⁹When he gave to the sea its bound,

That the waters should not transgress his commandment,

When he marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰Then I was by him, as a master workman;

And I was daily his delight,

Rejoicing always before him,

³¹Rejoicing in his habitable earth;

And my delight was with the sons of men.

³²Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me;

For blessed are they that keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction, and be wise,

And refuse it not.

³⁴Blessed is the man that heareth me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

³⁵For whoso findeth me findeth life,

And shall obtain favor of Jehovah.

³⁶But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:

All they that hate me love death.