The Blessing of Wisdom
Does not awisdom call,
And discernment give forth her voice?
2 At the top of athe heights upon the way,
Where the pathways meet, she takes her stand;
3 Beside the agates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she makes a shout:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O asimple ones, understand prudence;
And, O bfools, understand a heart of wisdom.
6 Listen, for I will speak anoble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal bupright things.
7 For my amouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing atwisted or crooked in them.
9 They are all astraightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who bfind knowledge.
10 Take my adiscipline and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest fine gold.
11 For wisdom is abetter than pearls;
And ball desirable things cannot compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, adwell with prudence,
And I find bknowledge and discretion.
13 The afear of Yahweh is to hate evil;
bPride and arrogance and cthe evil way
And the mouth of dperverted words, I hate.
14 aCounsel is mine and bsound wisdom;
I am understanding, cmight is mine.
15 By me akings reign,
And rulers mark out righteousness.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
17 I alove those who love me;
And bthose who earnestly seek me will find me.
18 aRiches and glory are with me,
Enduring bwealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is abetter than fine gold, even pure gold,
And my produce better than bchoice silver.
20 I walk in the path of righteousness,
In the midst of the pathways of justice,
21 To give those who love me an inheritance of wealth,
That I may afill their treasuries.
22 “Yahweh possessed me aat the beginning of His way,
Before His deeds of old.
23 From everlasting I was ainstalled,
From the beginning, bfrom the earliest times of the earth.
24 When there were no adepths I was brought forth,
When there were no springs heavy with water.
25 aBefore the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was brought forth;
26 While He had not yet made the earth and the fields outside,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27 When He aestablished the heavens, I was there,
When bHe marked out a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became strong,
29 When aHe set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not pass over His command,
When He marked out bthe foundations of the earth;
30 Then aI was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was a daily delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
aMy delight is in the sons of men.
32 “So now, O sons, alisten to me,
For bblessed are they who keep my ways.
33 aHear discipline and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34 aHow blessed is the man who hears me,
To watch daily at my doors,
To keep watch at my doorposts.
35 For ahe who finds me finds life
And bobtains favor from Yahweh.
36 But he who sins against me adoes violence to his own soul;
All those who bhate me clove death.”