• The Commendation of Wisdom

  • 1 Does not wisdom call, And understanding raise her voice?
  • 2 On top of the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
  • 3 Beside 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,
  • 21 To 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;
  • 26 While 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,
  • 28 When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed,
  • 29 When 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;
  • 30 Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was His delight daily, Rejoicing always before Him,
  • 31 Rejoicing 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.”