^16 (A)How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

¹⁷ The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before ^[a]a fall.
¹⁹ Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the ^[b]spoil with the proud.

²⁰ He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever ^(B)trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

²¹ The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

²² Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.

²³ The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.

²⁴ Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

²⁵ There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of ^(C)death.

²⁶ The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives ^(D)him on.

^27 [c]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning ^(E)fire.
²⁸ A perverse man sows strife,
And ^(F)a whisperer separates the best of friends.
²⁹ A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰ He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He ^[d]purses his lips and brings about evil.

^31 (G)The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.

^32 (H)He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

¹² “But^(A) where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
¹³ Man does not know its ^(B)value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
^14 (C)The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
¹⁵ It ^(D)cannot be purchased for gold,
Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
¹⁶ It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx or sapphire.
¹⁷ Neither ^(E)gold nor crystal can equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for ^[a]jewelry of fine gold.
¹⁸ No mention shall be made of ^[b]coral or quartz,
For the price of wisdom is above ^(F)rubies.
¹⁹ The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure ^(G)gold.

²⁰ “From^(H) where then does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of all living,
And concealed from the birds of the ^[c]air.
^22 (I)Destruction^[d] and Death say,
‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’
²³ God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
²⁴ For He looks to the ends of the earth,
And ^(J)sees under the whole heavens,
^25 (K)To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.
²⁶ When He ^(L)made a law for the rain,
And a path for the thunderbolt,
²⁷ Then He saw ^[e]wisdom and declared it;
He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
²⁸ And to man He said,
‘Behold, ^(M)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”