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.”