The Excellence of Wisdom

1Does not wisdom cry out,

and understanding give forth her voice?

2At the head of the heights, beside the road,

at the house of the paths, she takes her stand.

3At the hand of the gates, at the mouth of the city,

at the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

4“To you⁺, O men, do I call,

and my voice is to the sons of man!

5Discern prudence, O simple ones;

and you foolish ones, understand the heart.†

6Listen, for noble things do I speak,

and the opening of my lips is uprightness.

7For my mouth utters truth,

and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8In righteousness are all the words of my mouth;

nothing in them is crooked or perverse.

9All of them are plain to the intelligent,

and upright to those finding knowledge.

10Receive my instruction and not silver,

and knowledge above choicest gold.

11For better is wisdom than rubies,

and all delights cannot be compared with her.

12I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

and knowledge of discretion I find out.

13The fear of YHWH is to hate evil;

I hate pride, and arrogance, and the way of evil, and the mouth of perversity.

14Counsel and sound wisdom are unto me;

I am understanding; unto me is strength.

15By me kings reign,

and rulers decree justice.

16By me princes rule, and nobles—

all those judging with righteousness.†

17I love those who love me,

and those seeking me earnestly will find me.

18Riches and honor are with me,

surpassing wealth and righteousness.

19Better is my fruit than gold, even pure gold,

and my produce than choice silver.

20In the way of righteousness I walk,

in the midst of the paths of justice,

21to cause those loving me to inherit substance,

and their treasuries I will fill.

22YHWH acquired me at the beginning of His way,†

before His works at that time.

23From everlasting I was poured out,

from the head, from before the earth.

24In being no depths, I was brought forth,

in being no springs heavy with waters.

25Before the mountains were sunk,

before the hills, I was brought forth—

26while He had not made the land, or the outside places,

or the first dusts of the world.

27In His establishing the heavens, I was there;

in His inscribing a circle on the face of the deep,

28in His strengthening the clouds above,

in His making strong the fountains of the deep,

29in His setting for the sea its limit,

so that the waters would not cross over His command,

in His marking out the foundations of the earth,

30then I was beside Him as a craftsman,

and I was a delight† day by day,

laughing before His face at every time,

31laughing in the world of His earth,

and delighting together with the sons of man.

32So now, my sons, listen to me,

for blessed are those who keep my ways.

Listen to discipline and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

34Blessed is the man listening to me,

watching at my gates day by day,

keeping watch at the posts of my doors.

35For the one finding me has found life,

and he brings forth favor from YHWH;

36but the one sinning against me is wronging his soul;

all those hating me love death.”