Proverbs 8

The Commendation of Wisdom

1Does not awisdom call,
And understanding
Lit give
lift up her voice?
2On top of cthe heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3Beside the dgates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:
4To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5“O
Lit simple
,
fnaive ones, understand prudence;
And, O gfools, understand
Lit heart
wisdom.
6Listen, for I will speak inoble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal jright things.
7“For my kmouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing lcrooked or perverted in them.
9They are all mstraightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who nfind knowledge.
10Take my oinstruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
11For wisdom is pbetter than
Lit corals
jewels;
And rall desirable things cannot compare with her.

12I, wisdom, sdwell with prudence,
And I find tknowledge and discretion.
13“The ufear of the Lord is to hate evil;
vPride and arrogance and wthe evil way
And the xperverted mouth, I hate.
14 yCounsel is mine and zsound wisdom;
I am understanding, aapower is mine.
15“By me abkings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
17“I aclove those who love me;
And adthose who diligently seek me will find me.
18 aeRiches and honor are with me,
Enduring afwealth and righteousness.
19My fruit is agbetter than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than ahchoicest silver.
20I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may aifill their treasuries.

22“The Lord possessed me ajat the beginning of His way,
Before His works
Lit from then
of old.
23From everlasting I was
Or consecrated
,
amestablished,
From the beginning, anfrom the earliest times of the earth.
24When there were no aodepths I was
Or born
brought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
25 aqBefore the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was
Or born
brought forth;
26While He had not yet made the earth and the
Lit outside places
fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27“When He atestablished the heavens, I was there,
When auHe inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became
Lit strong
fixed,
29When awHe set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His
Lit mouth
command,
When He marked out aythe foundations of the earth;
30Then azI was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Or Playing
Rejoicing always before Him,
31
Or Playing
Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having bcmy delight in the sons of men.

32Now therefore, O sons, bdlisten to me,
For beblessed are they who keep my ways.
33 bfHeed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34 bgBlessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
35“For bhhe who finds me finds life
And biobtains favor from the Lord.
36“But he who
Or misses me
sins against me bkinjures himself;
All those who blhate me bmlove death.”

Copyright information for NASB1995