Proverbs 8
American Standard Version
8 Doth not wisdom cry,
And understanding put forth her voice?
2 On the top of high places by the way,
Where the paths meet, she standeth;
3 Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:
4 Unto you, O men, I call;
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O ye simple, understand prudence;
And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Hear, for I will speak excellent things;
And the opening of my lips shall be right things.
7 For my mouth shall utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth [a]are in righteousness;
There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.
9 They are all plain to him that understandeth,
And right to them that find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver;
And knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies;
And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.
12 I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling,
And find out [b]knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil:
Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,
And the perverse mouth, do I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and [c]sound knowledge:
I am understanding; I have might.
15 By me kings reign,
And princes decree justice.
16 By me [d]princes rule,
And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
17 I love them that love me;
And those that seek me [e]diligently shall find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me;
Yea, [f]durable wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;
And my [g]revenue than choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice;
21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance,
And that I may fill their treasuries.
22 Jehovah [h]possessed me in [i]the beginning of his way,
[j]Before his works of old.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,
Before the earth was.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills was I brought forth;
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,
Nor the [k]beginning of the dust of the world.
27 When he [l]established the heavens, I was there:
When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,
28 When he made firm the skies above,
When the fountains of the deep became strong,
29 When he gave to the sea [m]its bound,
That the waters should not transgress his commandment,
When he [n]marked out the foundations of the earth;
30 Then I was by him, as a master workman;
And I [o]was daily his delight,
[p]Rejoicing always before him,
31 [q]Rejoicing in his habitable earth;
And my delight was with the sons of men.
32 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me;
For blessed are they that keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction, and be wise,
And refuse it not.
34 Blessed is the man that heareth me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoso findeth me findeth life,
And shall [r]obtain favor of Jehovah.
36 But he that [s]sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:
All they that hate me love death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 8:8 Or, are righteousness
- Proverbs 8:12 Or, knowledge of witty inventions
- Proverbs 8:14 Or, effectual working
- Proverbs 8:16 Or, rulers
- Proverbs 8:17 Or, early
- Proverbs 8:18 Or, ancient
- Proverbs 8:19 Or, increase
- Proverbs 8:22 Or, formed
- Proverbs 8:22 Or, as
- Proverbs 8:22 Or, The first of
- Proverbs 8:26 Or, sum
- Proverbs 8:27 Or, prepared
- Proverbs 8:29 Or, his decree
- Proverbs 8:29 Or, appointed
- Proverbs 8:30 Or, had delight continually
- Proverbs 8:30 Or, Sporting
- Proverbs 8:31 Or, Sporting
- Proverbs 8:35 Hebrew draw forth.
- Proverbs 8:36 Or, misseth me
Proverbs 8
Lexham English Bible
Wisdom Calls
8 Does not wisdom call,
and understanding raise its voice?
2 Atop the heights[a] beside the road,
at the crossroads she stands.
3 Beside gates, before towns,
at the entrance of doors, she cries out:
4 “To you, O people,[b] I call,
and my cry is to the children of humankind.
5 Learn prudence, O simple ones;
fools, learn intelligence.[c]
6 Listen! For noble things I will speak,
and upright things from the opening of my lips.
7 My mouth will utter truth,
and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All sayings of my mouth are in righteousness;
none of them are twisted and crooked.
9 All of them are straight to him who understands,
and upright to those who find knowledge.
10 Take my teaching and not silver;
may you choose knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than jewels,
and all desires shall not compare with her.
12 I, wisdom, live with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of Yahweh is hatred of evil,
pride, and arrogance and an evil way.
And I hate a mouth of perversity.
14 Advice and sound judgment[d] are mine;
I am understanding, strength is mine.[e]
15 By me kings reign,
and rulers decree righteousness.
16 By me rulers rule,
and nobles—all judges of righteousness.
17 I love those who love me,[f]
and those who seek me diligently shall find me.
18 Fortune and glory are with me,
enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold,[g] even refined gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
20 In the way of righteousness I walk,
in the midst of paths of justice,
21 in order to endow those who love me with wealth,
and I will fill their treasuries.
Wisdom at Creation
22 “Yahweh possessed[h] me, the first of his ways,
before his acts of old.[i]
23 From eternity, I was set up from the first,
from the beginning[j] of the earth.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth,
when there were no springs of abounding[k] water.
25 Before mountains had been shaped,
before hills, I was brought forth.
26 When he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the first dust of the world,
27 when he established[l] the heavens, there I was,
when he drew[m] a circle upon the face of the deep,
28 when he made[n] skies from above,
when he founded fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned[o] his limits to the sea,
that waters shall not transgress his command,[p]
when he marked[q] the foundations of the earth,
30 I was beside[r] him, a master workman,
and I was delighting day by day,
rejoicing before him always,[s]
31 rejoicing in the world of his earth,
and my delight was with the children of humankind.
Benefits of Following Wisdom
32 “And now, children, listen to me;
happy are those who will keep my ways.
33 Hear teaching and be wise;
do not neglect it.
34 Happy is the person who listens to me,
in order to keep watch at my doors day by day,
in order to guard the frames of my entrances.
35 For he who finds me is he who finds[t] life,
and he obtains favor from Yahweh.
36 But he who misses me injures himself.[u]
All those who hate me love death.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 8:2 Literally “At a head of the heights”
- Proverbs 8:4 Literally “men”
- Proverbs 8:5 Literally “heart”
- Proverbs 8:14 Literally “To/for me are advice and sound judgment”
- Proverbs 8:14 Literally “to/for me is strength”
- Proverbs 8:17 Literally “her lovers”
- Proverbs 8:19 Literally “fine gold”
- Proverbs 8:22 Or “gained,” or “acquired”
- Proverbs 8:22 Literally “from before” or “from then”
- Proverbs 8:23 Hebrew “beginnings”
- Proverbs 8:24 Literally “made heavy”
- Proverbs 8:27 Literally “in his establishing”
- Proverbs 8:27 Literally “in his drawing”
- Proverbs 8:28 Literally “in his making”
- Proverbs 8:29 Literally “in his assigning”
- Proverbs 8:29 Literally “mouth”
- Proverbs 8:29 Literally “in his marking”
- Proverbs 8:30 Literally “at the place of”
- Proverbs 8:30 Literally “in all of time”
- Proverbs 8:35 Hebrew “those who find”
- Proverbs 8:36 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
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