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Proverbs 8

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

²On the heights beside the way, in the paths she takes her stand;

³beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

⁴"To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the sons of men.

⁵O simple ones, learn prudence; O foolish men, pay attention.

⁶Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right;

⁷for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

⁹They are all straight to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold;

¹¹for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹²I, wisdom, dwell in prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.

¹³The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

¹⁴I have counsel and sound wisdom, I have insight, I have strength.

¹⁵By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;

¹⁶by me princes rule, and nobles govern the earth.

¹⁷I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

¹⁸Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and prosperity.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice,

²¹endowing with wealth those who love me, and filling their treasuries.

²²The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.

²³Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth;

²⁶before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,

²⁹when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

³⁰then I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,

³¹rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the sons of men.

³²And now, my sons, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

³⁴Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

³⁵For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD;

³⁶but he who misses me injures himself; all who hate me love death."

Proverbs 8 (RSV)

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Proverbs

Chapter 8

8 of 31