Proverbs 8

Wycliffe Bible

8 Whether wisdom crieth not oft; and prudence giveth her voice? (Whether not wisdom crieth often, and understanding giveth forth her voice?)

² In most sovereign and high tops, above the way, in the midst of paths, (On hilltops, on the way, in the midst of paths,)

³ and it standeth beside the gate(s) of the city, in those enclosings, and speaketh, and saith,

⁴ A! ye men, I cry oft to you; and my voice is to the sons of men. (O! ye people, I often cry to you; and my words be for the sons and daughters of men.)

⁵ Little children, that is, little of wit, understand ye wisdom; and ye unwise men, perceiveth in heart. (Ye of little intelligence, understand ye wisdom; and ye who be unwise, think in your hearts.)

⁶ Hear ye (Listen ye), for I shall speak of great things; and my lips shall be opened, to preach rightful things.

⁷ My throat shall bethink truth; and my lips shall curse a wicked man. (My mouth shall speak the truth; and my lips shall curse the wicked/for my lips hate wicked words.)

⁸ My words be just; no shrewd thing, neither wayward is in those. (My words be right, or true; there is nothing depraved, or wicked, in them.)

⁹ They be rightful to them that understand; and they be even to them that find knowing. (They be right to those who understand; and they be obvious to those who find knowledge.)

¹⁰ Take ye my chastising, and not money (Receive, or accept, ye my discipline, and not money); choose ye teaching, more than treasure.

¹¹ For wisdom is better than all riches most precious (For wisdom is better than all of the most precious riches); and all desirable thing may not be comparisoned thereto.

¹² I, wisdom, dwell in counsel (live in good advice); and I am among learned thoughts.

¹³ The dread of the Lord hateth evil; I curse boast, and pride, and a shrewd way, and a double-tongued mouth. (The fear of the Lord is to hate evil/To have reverence for the Lord is to hate evil; I curse boast, and pride, and a depraved way, and speaking with a double-tongue, or with duplicity.)

¹⁴ Counsel is mine, and equity; prudence is mine, and strength. (Forethought is mine, and fairness, or equality; understanding is mine, and strength.)

¹⁵ Kings reign by me; and makers of laws deem just things by me. (Kings reign by me; and law-makers justly judge by me/and rulers make just laws by me.)

¹⁶ Princes command by me; and mighty men deem rightfulness by me. (Leaders command by me; and mighty men judge rightly, or with justice, by me.)

¹⁷ I love them that love me; and they that wake early to me, shall find me. (I love them who love me; and they who wake up early to seek me, shall find me.)

¹⁸ With me be riches, and glory; sovereign riches, and rightfulness.

¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, and precious stone(s); and my seeds be better than chosen silver (and my recompense is better than chosen silver).

²⁰ I go in the ways of rightfulness, in the midst of the paths of doom; (I go on the ways of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice;)

²¹ that I make rich them that love me (so that I make rich those who love me), and that I fill their treasures/their treasuries.

²² The Lord wielded me in the beginning of his ways (The Lord created me at the beginning of his ways); before that he made anything, (yea,) at the (very) beginning.

²³ From without beginning I was ordained; and from eld times, before that the earth was made.

²⁴ [The] Depths of waters were not yet (made); and I was conceived then. The wells of waters had not broken out yet (The water wells had not yet broken forth),

²⁵ and hills stood not (al)together yet by firm heaviness; before little hills I was born. (and the mountains did not yet stand with firm heaviness; yea, I was born before the little hills.)

²⁶ Yet he had not made [the] earth; and floods, and the earths of the world. (He had not yet made the earth; and the rivers, and the dust of the world.)

²⁷ When he made ready heavens, I was present (When he prepared the heavens, I was there); (and) when he compassed, [or (en)closed,] the depths of (the) waters by certain law and compass.

²⁸ When he made steadfast the air above; and weighed the wells of waters (and set in place the water wells).

²⁹ When he compassed to the sea his mark (When he set the boundaries for the seas); and setted law to (the) waters, that they should not pass their coasts. When he weighed the foundaments of [the] earth;

³⁰ I was making all (these) things with him. And I delighted by all days, and played before him in all time,

³¹ and I played in the world; and my delights be to be with the sons of men (and my delight is to be with the sons and daughters of men).

³² Now, therefore, sons, hear ye me; blessed be they that keep my ways. (And so now, sons and daughters, listen ye to me; blessed be those who follow my ways.)

³³ Hear ye teaching, and be ye wise men; and do not ye cast it away. (Listen ye to my teaching, and be ye wise; and do not ye throw it away.)

³⁴ Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth at my gates all day (Happy is the person who listeneth to me, and who standeth watch at my gates all day long); and keepeth (guard) at the posts of my door[s].

³⁵ He that findeth me, shall find life; and he shall draw health of the Lord. (He who findeth me, shall find life; and he shall obtain favour from the Lord.)

³⁶ But he that sinneth against me shall hurt his soul; all that hate me, love death. (But he who sinneth against me shall hurt his own soul; all who hate me, love death.)