Proverbs 8

¹Does not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?

²On the heights beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;

³beside 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.

⁵O simple ones, learn prudence;
O fools, learn sense.

⁶Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right,

⁷for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

⁹They are all straight to him who understands,
and right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰ Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,

¹¹ for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹²“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.

¹³ The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.

¹⁴I have counsel and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.

¹⁵By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;

¹⁶by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly.

¹⁷ I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.

¹⁸ Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the paths of justice,

²¹granting an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.

²² “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of old.

²³Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,

²⁶before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,

²⁹when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

³⁰then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his 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 neglect it.

³⁴ Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.

³⁵For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord,

³⁶but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death.”

source