智慧的呼喚

智慧不是在呼喚嗎?
    悟性不是在呐喊嗎?
她在路邊高處站立,
    她在十字街頭停留,
在城門旁,在入口處大喊:
「世人啊,我呼喚你們,
    我向全人類大聲呼籲。
愚昧人啊,要學會謹慎!
    愚頑人啊,要慎思明辨!
你們聽啊,我要說美好的話,
    開口談論正直的事。
我的口傳揚真理,
    我的嘴憎恨邪惡。
我口中的言語公正,
    沒有一句錯謬的話。
我的話,智者明白,哲士認同。
10 要接受我的教誨,而非白銀;
    要選擇知識,而非黃金。
11 因為智慧比寶石更珍貴,
    一切美物都不能與之相比。

12 「我智慧與謹慎同住,
    我擁有知識和明辨力。
13 敬畏耶和華就當憎恨邪惡,
    我憎恨驕傲、狂妄、惡道和謊言。
14 我有謀略和真知,
    又有悟性和能力。
15 君王靠我安邦定國,
    首領藉我秉公行義,
16 王公大臣靠我治理天下,
    官宦貴胄憑我公正斷案。
17 愛我的,我也愛他;
    懇切尋求我的,必能尋見。
18 富貴和尊榮在我,
    恆久的產業和公義也在我。
19 我的果實勝過純金,
    我的出產勝過純銀。
20 我在公義的道上奔走,
    在公平的路上前行。
21 我要賜財富給愛我的人,
    使他們的庫房充盈。

22 「在耶和華造物的起頭,
    在太初萬物被造以前,
    就已經有我。
23 從亙古,從太初,
    大地還沒有形成以前,
    我已經被立。
24 沒有深淵,
    沒有湧流的水泉以前,
    我已經誕生。
25 大山未曾奠定,
    小丘未曾形成,
    我已經出生。
26 那時耶和華還沒有造大地和原野,
    還沒有造一粒塵土。
27 祂鋪設諸天的時候,我已在場。
    祂在深淵上畫出地平線,
28 上使穹蒼堅固,
    下使深淵的泉源安穩,
29 設定滄海的界限,
    使海水不得越過祂定的範圍,
    為大地奠定根基的時候,
30 我就在祂身旁,
    做祂的工程師,
    天天成為祂的喜樂,
    終日在祂面前歡悅,
31 因祂所造的人世而歡悅,
    因祂所造的世人而喜樂。

32 「孩子們啊,你們要聽從我,
    持守我道路的人有福了。
33 要聽從教誨,不可輕忽,
    要做智者。
34 人若聽從我、天天在我門口仰望、
    時時在我門邊等候,就有福了。
35 因為找到我的,便找到了生命,
    他必蒙耶和華的恩惠。
36 沒找到我就是害自己;
    憎恨我就是喜愛死亡。」

Wisdom’s Appeal

Doesn’t Wisdom(A) call out?
Doesn’t Understanding make her voice heard?
At the heights overlooking the road,
at the crossroads, she takes her stand.
Beside the gates(B) at the entry to[a] the city,
at the main entrance, she cries out:
“People, I call out to you;
my cry is to mankind.
Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced;
develop common sense, you who are foolish.
Listen, for I speak of noble things,
and what my lips say is right.
For my mouth tells the truth,(C)
and wickedness is detestable to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
none of them are deceptive or perverse.(D)
All of them are clear to the perceptive,(E)
and right to those who discover knowledge.
10 Accept my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.(F)
11 For wisdom is better than jewels,(G)
and nothing desirable can compare with it.(H)
12 I, Wisdom, share a home with shrewdness
and have knowledge and discretion.(I)
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil.(J)
I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct,
and perverse speech.
14 I possess good advice and competence;[b]
I have understanding and strength.(K)
15 It is by me that kings reign(L)
and rulers enact just law;
16 by me, princes lead,
as do nobles and all righteous judges.[c]
17 I love those who love me,(M)
and those who search for me find me.(N)
18 With me are riches and honor,(O)
lasting wealth and righteousness.(P)
19 My fruit is better than solid gold,
and my harvest than pure silver.(Q)
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
21 giving wealth as an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.

22 “The Lord made[d] me
at the beginning of His creation,[e]
before His works of long ago.(R)
23 I was formed before ancient times,
from the beginning, before the earth began.(S)
24 I was born
when there were no watery depths(T)
and no springs filled with water.
25 I was delivered
before the mountains and hills were established,(U)
26 before He made the land, the fields,
or the first soil on earth.
27 I was there when He established the heavens,(V)
when He laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,(W)
28 when He placed the skies above,
when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,
29 when He set a limit for the sea
so that the waters would not violate His command,(X)
when He laid out the foundations of the earth.(Y)
30 I was a skilled craftsman[f] beside Him.(Z)
I was His[g] delight every day,
always rejoicing before Him.
31 I was rejoicing in His inhabited world,(AA)
delighting in the human race.(AB)

32 “And now, my sons, listen to me;
those who keep my ways are happy.(AC)
33 Listen to instruction and be wise;(AD)
don’t ignore it.
34 Anyone who listens to me is happy,(AE)
watching at my doors every day,
waiting by the posts of my doorway.
35 For the one who finds me finds life(AF)
and obtains favor from the Lord,(AG)
36 but the one who misses me[h] harms himself;(AH)
all who hate me love death.”(AI)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 8:3 Lit the mouth of
  2. Proverbs 8:14 Or resourcefulness
  3. Proverbs 8:16 Some Hb mss, LXX read nobles who judge the earth
  4. Proverbs 8:22 Or possessed, or begot
  5. Proverbs 8:22 Lit way
  6. Proverbs 8:30 Or a confidant, or a child, or was constantly
  7. Proverbs 8:30 LXX; MT omits His
  8. Proverbs 8:36 Or who sins against me