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Proverbs 8

The Commendation of Wisdom

¹Does not wisdom call, And understanding raise her voice?

²On top of the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

³Beside the gates, at the opening to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

⁴“To you, people, I call, And my voice is to mankind.

⁵“You naive ones, understand prudence; And, you fools, understand wisdom!

⁶“Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

⁷“For my mouth will proclaim truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.

⁹“They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge.

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

¹¹“For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

¹²¶“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion.

¹³“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride, arrogance, the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.

¹⁴“Advice is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.

¹⁵“By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.

¹⁶“By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.

¹⁷“I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.

¹⁸“Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹“My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold; And my yield better than choice silver.

²⁰“I 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 fill their treasuries.

²²¶“The Lord created me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.

²³“From eternity I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.

²⁴“When there were no ocean depths, I was born, When there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵“Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was born;

²⁶While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world.

²⁷“When He established the heavens, I was there; When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed,

²⁹When He set a boundary for the sea So that the water would not violate His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was His delight daily, Rejoicing always before Him,

³¹Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having my delight in the sons of mankind.

³²¶“Now then, sons, listen to me, For blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³“Listen to instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it.

³⁴“Blessed is the person who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.

³⁵“For one who finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord.

³⁶“But one who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 8 (NASB)

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Proverbs

Chapter 8

8 of 31