1  ^jDoes not wisdom call?

Does not understanding raise her voice?

2  ^kOn the heights beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

3  beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

4  “To you, O men, I call,

and my cry is to the children of man.

5  O ^lsimple ones, learn prudence;

O fools, ^mlearn sense.

6  Hear, for I will speak noble things,

and from my lips will come what is right,

7  for my mouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8  All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing twisted or ⁿcrooked in them.

9  They are all straight to him who understands,

and right to those who find knowledge.

10  ^oTake my ^pinstruction instead of ^qsilver,

and knowledge rather than choice gold,

11  for wisdom is ^rbetter than jewels,

and ^sall that you may desire cannot compare with her.

12  “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

and I find knowledge and discretion.

13  ^tThe fear of the Lord is ^uhatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

and ^vperverted speech I hate.

14  I have counsel and sound wisdom;

I have insight; I have strength.

15  By me kings reign,

and rulers decree what is just;

16  by me princes rule,

and nobles, all who govern justly.¹

17  I love those who love me,

and those who ^wseek me diligently find me.

18  Riches and honor are with me,

enduring wealth and righteousness.

19  My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,

and my yield than ^xchoice silver.

20  I walk in the ^yway of righteousness,

in the paths of justice,

21  granting an inheritance to those who love me,

and filling their treasuries.

22  ^z“The Lord ^apossessed² me ^bat the beginning of his work,³

the first of his acts of old.

23  Ages ago I was set up,

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

24  When there were no depths I was brought forth,

when there were no springs abounding with water.

25  ^dBefore the mountains had been shaped,

before the hills, I was brought forth,

26  before he had made the earth with its fields,

or ^ethe first of the dust of the world.

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

when he ^gdrew a circle on the face of the deep,

28  ^hwhen he made firm the skies above,

when he established⁴ the ⁱfountains of the deep,

29  ^jwhen he ^kassigned to the sea its limit,

so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

30  then I was ^lbeside him, like a master workman,

and I was daily his⁵ delight,

rejoicing before him always,

31  rejoicing in his inhabited world

and delighting in the children of man.

32  “And now, O sons, listen to me:

blessed are those who keep my ways.

33  Hear instruction and be wise,

and do not ^mneglect it.

34  ⁿBlessed is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

35  For whoever finds me finds ^olife

and obtains favor from the Lord,

36  but he who fails to find me injures himself;

all who hate me love death.”

1  Wisdom has built her house;

she has hewn her seven pillars.

2  She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;

she has also set her table.

3  She has sent out her young women to ^pcall

from the highest places in the town,

4  ^q“Whoever is ^rsimple, let him turn in here!”

To him who lacks sense she says,

5  “Come, eat of my bread

and drink of the wine I have mixed.

6  Leave your simple ways,⁶ and live,

and walk in the way of ^sinsight.”

7  ^tWhoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

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

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

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

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

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

and the ^xknowledge of the Holy One is ^yinsight.

11  For by me your days will be ^zmultiplied,

and years will be added to your life.

12  If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;

if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

13  The woman Folly is ^aloud;

she is seductive⁸ and knows nothing.

14  She sits at the door of ^bher house;

she takes a seat ^con the highest places of the town,

15  calling to those who pass by,

who are going straight on their way,

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

And to him who lacks sense she says,

17  “Stolen ^ewater is sweet,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

18  ^fBut he does not know that the dead⁹ are there,

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.