| 1. | Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice? |
| 2. | On the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she standeth; |
| 3. | Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud: |
| 4. | Unto you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of men. |
| 5. | O ye simple, understand prudence; And, ye 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 an abomination 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 understandeth, And right to them 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 unto it. |
| 12. | I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling, And find out knowledge `and' discretion. |
| 13. | The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do 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 the judges of the earth. |
| 17. | I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me. |
| 18. | Riches and honor are with me; `Yea', durable wealth and righteousness. |
| 19. | My fruit is better than gold, yea, 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. | Jehovah 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 was I 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 upon 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 workman; And I was daily `his' delight, Rejoicing always before him, |
| 31. | Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men. |
| 32. | Now therefore, `my' sons, hearken unto me; For blessed are they that keep my ways. |
| 33. | Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not. |
| 34. | Blessed is the man that heareth me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. |
| 35. | For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favor of Jehovah. |
| 36. | But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death. |