Proverbs
8 Does not wisdom keep calling out,+ and discernment keep giving forth its voice?+ 2 On top of the heights,+ by the way, at the crossing of the roadways it has stationed itself. 3 At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the town,+ at the going in of the entrances it keeps crying loudly:+
4 “To YOU, O men,* I am calling, and my voice is to the sons of men.*+ 5 O inexperienced ones, understand shrewdness;+ and YOU stupid ones, understand heart.*+ 6 Listen, for it is about the foremost things that I speak,+ and the opening of my lips is about uprightness.+ 7 For my palate in low tones utters truth itself;+ and wickedness is something detestable to my lips.+ 8 All the sayings of my mouth are in righteousness.+ Among them there is nothing twisted or crooked.+ 9 All of them are straight to the discerning one, and upright to the ones finding knowledge.+ 10 TAKE my discipline and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.+ 11 For wisdom is better than corals,+ and all other delights themselves cannot be made equal to it.+
12 “I, wisdom, I have resided with shrewdness+ and I find even the knowledge of thinking abilities.+ 13 The fear of Jehovah means the hating of bad.+ Self-exaltation and pride+ and the bad way and the perverse mouth+ I have hated. 14 I have counsel+ and practical wisdom.+ I—understanding;+ I have mightiness.+ 15 By me kings themselves keep reigning, and high officials themselves keep decreeing righteousness.+ 16 By me princes themselves keep ruling as princes,+ and nobles are all judging in righteousness.+ 17 Those loving me* I myself love,+ and those looking for me are the ones that find me.+ 18 Riches and glory* are with me,+ hereditary values and righteousness.+ 19 My fruitage is better than gold,* even than refined gold, and my produce than choice silver.+ 20 In the path of righteousness I walk,+ in the middle of the roadways of judgment,+ 21 to cause those loving me to take possession of substance;+ and their storehouses I keep filled.+
22 “Jehovah himself produced me* as the beginning* of his way,+ the earliest of his achievements of long ago.+ 23 From time indefinite I was installed,+ from the start,* from times earlier than the earth.+ 24 When there were no watery deeps* I was brought forth as with labor pains,+ when there were no springs heavily charged with water. 25 Before the mountains themselves had been settled down,+ ahead of the hills, I was brought forth as with labor pains, 26 when as yet he had not made the earth+ and the open spaces and the first part of the dust masses of the productive land.*+ 27 When he prepared the heavens I was there;+ when he decreed a circle upon the face of the watery deep,+ 28 when he made firm the cloud masses above,+ when he caused the fountains of the watery deep to be strong,+ 29 when he set for the sea his decree that the waters themselves should not pass beyond his order,*+ when he decreed the foundations of the earth,+ 30 then I came to be beside him as a master worker,*+ and I came to be the one he* was specially fond+ of day by day, I being glad before him all the time,+ 31 being glad at the productive land* of his earth,+ and the things I was fond of were with the sons of men.*+
32 “And now, O sons, listen to me; yes, happy are the ones that keep my very ways.+ 33 Listen to discipline and become wise,+ and do not show any neglect.+ 34 Happy is the man that is listening to me by keeping awake at my doors day by day, by watching at the posts of my entrances.+ 35 For the one finding me will certainly find life,+ and gets goodwill from Jehovah.+ 36 But the one missing me is doing violence to his soul;+ all those intensely hating me are the ones that do love death.”+