The Blessings of Wisdom

¹Does not lwisdom call?

Does not munderstanding raise her voice?

²On nthe heights beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

³beside othe gates in front of pthe town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

⁴“To you, O qmen, I call,

and my cry is to qthe children of man.

⁵O rsimple ones, learn sprudence;

O tfools, learn sense.

⁶Hear, for I will speak unoble things,

and from my lips will come vwhat is right,

⁷for my wmouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing xtwisted or crooked in them.

⁹They are all ystraight to him who understands,

and right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰zTake my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than choice gold,

¹¹afor wisdom is better than jewels,

and ball that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹²“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

and I find knowledge and cdiscretion.

¹³dThe fear of the Lord is ehatred of evil.

fPride and arrogance and the way of evil

and gperverted speech I hate.

¹⁴I have hcounsel and isound wisdom;

I have insight; jI have strength.

¹⁵By me kkings reign,

and rulers decree what is just;

¹⁶by me princes rule,

and nobles, all who govern justly.1

¹⁷lI love those who love me,

and mthose who seek me diligently find me.

¹⁸nRiches and honor are with me,

oenduring wealth and orighteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is pbetter than qgold, even fine gold,

and my yield than rchoice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,

in the paths of justice,

²¹granting an inheritance to those who love me,

and filling their treasuries.

²²s“The Lord tpossessed2 me at the beginning of his work,3

the first of his acts uof old.

²³Ages ago I was vset up,

at the first, wbefore the beginning of the earth.

²⁴When there were no xdepths I was ybrought forth,

when there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains zhad been shaped,

abefore 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 bestablished the heavens, I was there;

when he drew ca circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸when he dmade firm the skies above,

when he established4 the fountains of the deep,

²⁹when he eassigned to the sea its flimit,

so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out gthe foundations of the earth,

³⁰then hI was beside him, like a master workman,

and I was daily his5 idelight,

rejoicing before him always,

³¹jrejoicing in his kinhabited world

and delighting in the children of man.

³²“And now, lO sons, listen to me:

mblessed are those who keep my ways.

³³nHear instruction and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

³⁴oBlessed is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

³⁵For pwhoever finds me qfinds life

and robtains favor from the Lord,

³⁶but he who fails to find me sinjures himself;

all who thate me ulove death.”