Proverbs 8:1; Proverbs 8:2–10:32

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Proverbs 8:1

The Blessings of Wisdom

Does not lwisdom call?

Does not munderstanding raise her voice?


Proverbs 8:2–10:32

On nthe heights beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

beside othe gates in front of pthe town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

To you, O qmen, I call,

and my cry is to qthe children of man.

O rsimple ones, learn sprudence;

O tfools, learn sense.

Hear, for I will speak unoble things,

and from my lips will come vwhat is right,

for my wmouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing xtwisted or crooked in them.

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  sThe 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 his5 idelight,

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.

The Way of Wisdom

vWisdom has built her house;

she has hewn her wseven xpillars.

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

she has also aset her table.

She has bsent out her young women to ccall

from dthe highest places in the town,

eWhoever is simple, let him turn in here!

fTo him who lacks sense she says,

Come, geat of my bread

and hdrink of zthe wine I have mixed.

Leave iyour simple ways,6 and jlive,

kand walk in the way of insight.

Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

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

mreprove a wise man, and he will love you.

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.

The Way of Folly

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  yWhoever is simple, let him turn in here!

And to him who lacks sense she says,

17  zStolen 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.

The Proverbs of Solomon

cThe proverbs of Solomon.

dA wise son makes a glad father,

ebut a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

fTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

gbut righteousness delivers from death.

hThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

ibut he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

A slack hand jcauses poverty,

kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who lgathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is ma son who brings shame.

Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but nthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.10

oThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but pthe name of the wicked will rot.

qThe wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

rWhoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked swill be found out.

10  Whoever twinks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

11  uThe mouth of the righteous is va fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked nconceals violence.

12  Hatred stirs up strife,

but wlove covers all offenses.

13  On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but xa rod is for the back of him who ylacks sense.

14  The wise zlay up knowledge,

but athe mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

15  bA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

16  The wage of the righteous leads cto life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

17  Whoever heeds instruction is on dthe path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

18  The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

19  eWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,

fbut whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

20  The tongue of the righteous is gchoice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

21  The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for hlack of sense.

22  iThe blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.11

23  Doing wrong is jlike a joke to a fool,

but kwisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

24  lWhat the wicked dreads mwill come upon him,

but nthe desire of the righteous will be granted.

25  When othe tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but pthe righteous is established forever.

26  Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

27  qThe fear of the Lord prolongs life,

rbut the years of the wicked will be short.

28  sThe hope of the righteous brings joy,

tbut the expectation of the wicked will perish.

29  uThe way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers.

30  vThe righteous will never be removed,

but wthe wicked will not dwell in the land.

31  xThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

32  The lips of the righteous yknow what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, zwhat is perverse.