1  Does not ^lwisdom call?

Does not ^munderstanding raise her voice?

2  On ⁿthe heights beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

3  beside ^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.

5  O ^rsimple ones, learn ^sprudence;

O ^tfools, learn sense.

6  Hear, for I will speak ^unoble things,

and from my lips will come ^vwhat is right,

7  for my ^wmouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8  All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing ^xtwisted or crooked in them.

9  They are all ^ystraight to him who understands,

and right to those who find knowledge.

10  ^zTake my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than choice gold,

11  ^afor 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.

13  ^dThe fear of the Lord is ^ehatred of evil.

^fPride and arrogance and the way of evil

and ^gperverted speech I hate.

14  I have ^hcounsel and ⁱsound wisdom;

I have insight; ^jI have strength.

15  By me ^kkings reign,

and rulers decree what is just;

16  by me princes rule,

and nobles, all who govern justly.¹

17  ^lI love those who love me,

and ^mthose who seek me diligently find me.

18  ⁿRiches and honor are with me,

^oenduring wealth and ^orighteousness.

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

and my yield than ^rchoice silver.

20  I walk in the way of righteousness,

in the paths of justice,

21  granting an inheritance to those who love me,

and filling their treasuries.

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

the first of his acts ^uof old.

23  Ages ago I was ^vset up,

at the first, ^wbefore the beginning of the earth.

24  When there were no ^xdepths I was ^ybrought forth,

when there were no springs abounding with water.

25  Before the mountains ^zhad been shaped,

^abefore the hills, I was brought forth,

26  before he had made the earth with its fields,

or the first of the dust of the world.

27  When he ^bestablished the heavens, I was there;

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

28  when he ^dmade firm the skies above,

when he established⁴ the fountains of the deep,

29  when 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,

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

and I was daily his^{5 i}delight,

rejoicing before him always,

31  ^jrejoicing 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.

33  ⁿHear instruction and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

34  ^oBlessed is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

35  For ^pwhoever finds me ^qfinds life

and ^robtains favor from the Lord,

36  but he who fails to find me ^sinjures himself;

all who ^thate me ^ulove death.”

1  ^vWisdom has built her house;

she has hewn her ^wseven ^xpillars.

2  She has ^yslaughtered her beasts; she has ^zmixed her wine;

she has also ^aset her table.

3  She has ^bsent out her young women to ^ccall

from ^dthe highest places in the town,

4  ^e“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

^fTo him who lacks sense she says,

5  “Come, ^geat of my bread

and ^hdrink of ^zthe wine I have mixed.

6  Leave ⁱyour simple ways,⁶ and ^jlive,

^kand walk in the way of insight.”

7  Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

8  ^lDo not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;

^mreprove a wise man, and he will love you.

9  Give instruction⁷ to a wise man, and he will be ⁿstill wiser;

teach a righteous man, and he will ^oincrease in learning.

10  ^pThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and ^qthe knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

11  For by me ^ryour days will be multiplied,

and years will be added to your life.

12  ^sIf you are wise, you are wise for yourself;

if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

13  ^tThe woman Folly is ^uloud;

she is seductive⁸ and ^vknows nothing.

14  She sits at the door of her house;

she takes a seat on ^wthe highest places of the town,

15  calling to those who pass by,

who are ^xgoing straight on their way,

16  ^y“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

And to him who lacks sense she says,

17  ^z“Stolen water is sweet,

and ^abread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

18  But he does not know ^bthat the dead⁹ are there,

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.