The Excellence of Wisdom

1Doth not wisdom call? And understanding give forth her voice?

2At the head of high places by the way, Between the paths she hath stood,

3At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, she crieth aloud,

4‘Unto you, O men, I call, And my voice [is] unto the sons of men.

5Understand, ye simple ones, prudence, And ye fools, understand the heart,

6Hearken, for noble things I speak, And the opening of my lips [is] uprightness.

7For truth doth my mouth utter, And an abomination to my lips [is] wickedness.

8In righteousness [are] all the sayings of my mouth, Nothing in them is froward and perverse.

9All of them [are] plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge.

10Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold.

11For better [is] wisdom than rubies, Yea, all delights are not comparable with it.

12I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And a knowledge of devices I find out.

13The fear of Jehovah [is] to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a froward mouth, I have hated.

14Mine [is] counsel and substance, I [am] understanding, I have might.

15By me kings reign, and princes decree righteousness,

16By me do chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of the earth.

17I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly do find me.

18Wealth and honour [are] with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.

19Better [is] my fruit than gold, even fine gold, And mine increase than choice silver.

20In a path of righteousness I cause to walk, In midst of paths of judgment,

21To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Yea, their treasures I fill.

22Jehovah possessed me — the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.

23From the age I was anointed, from the first, From former states of the earth.

24In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy [with] waters,

25Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.

26While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.

27In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep,

28In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep,

29In His setting for the sea its limit, And the waters transgress not His command, In His decreeing the foundations of earth,

30Then I am near Him, a workman, And I am a delight — day by day. Rejoicing before Him at all times,

31Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights [are] with the sons of men.

32And now, ye sons, hearken to me, Yea, happy are they who keep my ways.

33Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight not.

34O the happiness of the man hearkening to me, To watch at my doors day by day, To watch at the door-posts of my entrance.

35For whoso is finding me, hath found life, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah.

36And whoso is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!