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¹ Doth not wysdome crye? doth not vnderstanding put foorth her voyce?² She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the place of the pathes:³ She cryeth at the gates of the citie, at the entrye of the doores:⁴ It is you O ye men [saith she] whom I call, vnto the chyldren of men do I lyft vp my voyce.⁵ Take heede vnto knowledge O ye ignoraunt, be ye wise in heart O ye fooles.⁶ Geue eare, for I wyll speake of great matters, and open my lippes to tell thinges that be right:⁷ For my mouth shall be talking of the trueth, and my lippes abhorre vngodlynesse.⁸ All the wordes of my mouth are righteous, there is no frowardnes nor falsehood in them.⁹ They are all playne to suche as wyll vnderstande, and right to them that finde knowledge.¹⁰ Receaue my doctrine and not siluer, and knowledge rather then fine golde:¹¹ For wysdome is more worth then pretious stones, yea all thinges that thou canst desire, may not be compared vnto it.

¹² I wysdome dwell with counsell, and finde out knowledge and vnderstanding.¹³ The feare of the Lorde abhorreth wickednes, pryde, disdayne, and the euil way, and a mouth that speaketh wicked thinges I vtterly abhorre.¹⁴ Counsell is mine, and direction, I am vnderstanding, and I haue strength.¹⁵ Through me kinges raigne, and princes make iust lawes.¹⁶ By me princes beare rule, and noble men do iudge the earth.¹⁷ I am louing vnto those that loue me: and they that seeke me early, shall finde me.¹⁸ Riches and honour are with me, yea durable riches and righteousnes.¹⁹ My fruite is better then golde and pretious stones, and mine encrease more worth then fine siluer.²⁰ I wyll guyde thee in the way of righteousnes, and in the midst of the pathes of iudgement:²¹ That I maye stablishe the inhetaunce of them that loue me, and encrease their treasure.

²² The Lorde him selfe had me in possession in the beginning of his wayes, or euer he began his workes aforetime.²³ I haue ben ordayned from euerlasting, and from the beginning or euer the earth was made.²⁴ When I was borne there were neither depthes nor springes of water.²⁵ Before the foundations of the mountaines were layde: yea before all hilles, was I borne:²⁶ The earth, and all that is vpon the earth was not yet made, no not the dust it selfe.²⁷ For when he made the heauens, I was present, when he compassed the deapthes about:²⁸ When he hanged the cloudes aboue, when he fastened the springes of the deepe:²⁹ When he shut the sea within certaine boundes, that the waters should not go ouer their markes that he commaunded: when he layde the foundations of the earth,³⁰ I was with him ordring all thinges, deliting dayly and reioysyng alway before hym.³¹ As for the rounde compasse of this worlde I make it ioyfull: for my delite is to be among the chyldren of men.

³² Therefore hearken vnto me: O ye chyldren, blessed are they that kepe my wayes.³³ O geue eare vnto nurture, be wyse, and refuse it not: ³⁴ Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching dayly at my gates, and geuing attendaunce at the postes of my doores.³⁵ For whoso findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtaine fauour of the Lorde.³⁶ But whoso offendeth against me, hurteth his owne soule: and they that hate me, are the louers of death.