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¹ Does not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice?² On the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she stands;³ Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she cries aloud:⁴ To you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of man.⁵ O you simple, understand prudence; And, you fools, be of an understanding heart.⁶ Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things.⁷ For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is disgusting to my lips.⁸ All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.⁹ They are all plain to him that understands, And right to those that find knowledge.¹⁰ Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold.¹¹ For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

¹² I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling, And find out knowledge [and] discretion.¹³ The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, I hate.¹⁴ Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge: I am understanding; I have might.¹⁵ By me kings reign, And princes decree justice.¹⁶ By me princes rule, And nobles, [even] all those who govern righteously.¹⁷ I love those that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.¹⁸ Riches and honor are with me; [Yes], durable wealth and righteousness.¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver.²⁰ I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice;²¹ That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries.

²² Yahweh possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old.²³ I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was.²⁴ When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.²⁵ Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was brought forth;²⁶ While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.²⁷ When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle on the face of the deep,²⁸ When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong,²⁹ When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth;³⁰ Then I was by him, [as] a master craftsman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him,³¹ Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of man.

³² Now therefore, [my] sons, listen to me; For blessed are those that keep my ways.³³ Hear instruction, and be wise, And don't refuse it.³⁴ Blessed is [the] man that hears me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.³⁵ For whoever finds me finds life, And shall obtain favor of Yahweh.³⁶ But he that sins against me wrongs his own soul: All those that hate me love death.