Proverbs 8
Evangelical Heritage Version
Wisdom’s Invitation
8 Do you hear Wisdom calling out?
Do you hear Understanding raising her voice?
2 On the hills above the roads,
she takes her stand at the crossroads.
3 Beside the gates leading into the city,
at the entrance to the doorways, she cries out:
4 I call to you men,
and I raise my voice to the people.
5 You gullible people, get good judgment.[a]
You fools, take this to heart.
6 Listen, because I am speaking noble thoughts.
I open my lips to speak upright things,
7 for my mouth declares truth,
but wickedness is disgusting[b] to my lips.
8 All the words from my mouth are righteous.
There is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9 All of them are clear to those who have understanding,
and they are upright to those who find knowledge.
10 Accept my discipline instead of silver.
Accept knowledge rather than fine gold,
11 because Wisdom is better than gems,[c]
and anything you may desire cannot equal her.
Wisdom’s Benefit
12 I, Wisdom, dwell with good judgment.[d]
I discover knowledge and foresight.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.
I hate haughtiness, arrogance, an evil way, and a perverse mouth.
14 Good advice and sound judgment are mine.
I, Understanding, have strength.
15 By me kings reign,
and rulers administer justice.
16 By me officials govern,
as well as nobles and all just judges.
17 I certainly love those who love me,
and those who eagerly look for me find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me,
as well as enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, better than pure gold,
and what I produce is better than fine silver.
20 I walk on the path of righteousness,
down the middle of the pathways of justice,
21 so I can provide a rich inheritance to those who love me,
and I can fill their treasuries.
Wisdom Is the Craftsman of Creation
22 The Lord possessed[e] me at the beginning of his way,
before his works of long ago.
23 From eternity I was appointed,
from the beginning, from before the origin of the earth.
24 When there were no deep waters, I was brought forth,[f]
when there were no springs filled with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 when he had not yet made land or fields
or the first dust of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there.
When he drew the horizon around the surface of the deep,
28 when he placed the clouds in the sky above,
when the fountains of the deep gushed out,
29 when he established his decree for the sea,
so that the waters could not go beyond the limit set by his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 I was beside him as a master craftsman.
I was his joy day after day.
I rejoiced in his presence at all times.
31 I rejoiced in his inhabited world.
I was delighted with the children of Adam.[g]
Wisdom Is the Giver of Life
32 So now, you children, listen to me,
because those who keep my ways are blessed.
33 Listen to discipline and become wise.
Do not neglect it.
34 How blessed is the person who listens to me,
so that he can watch at my doors day after day,
so that he can stand guard beside my front door,
35 because whoever finds me finds life,
and he obtains favor from the Lord,
36 but whoever sins against me harms himself.
All who hate me love death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 8:5 Or prudence
- Proverbs 8:7 Or repulsive or an abomination
- Proverbs 8:11 Perhaps rubies or red coral
- Proverbs 8:12 Or prudence
- Proverbs 8:22 Or created
- Proverbs 8:24 Or was born. Also in verse 25.
- Proverbs 8:31 Or human race
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”
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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