(A)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

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Fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;
    wisdom and instruction, fools despise.

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(A)For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

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For Yahweh will give wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

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13 (A)Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
14 (B)For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
And (C)all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 (D)Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
17 (E)Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is (F)a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who [a]retain her.

19 (G)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were (H)broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 3:18 hold her fast

13 Happy is the one[a] who finds wisdom,
    and one who obtains understanding.
14 For her[b] income is better than the income of silver,
    and her revenue than that of gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
    and all your desires shall not compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
    and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life for those who seize her;
    those who take hold of her are considered happy.

Role of Wisdom in Creation and Society

19 Yahweh in wisdom founded the earth;
    he established the heavens in understanding.
20 With his knowledge, depths broke open,
    and clouds dropped dew.

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 3:13 Literally “a man”
  2. Proverbs 3:14 Or “its”; both “wisdom” and “understanding” are feminine nouns and can be read as either “she” or “it”

(A)Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
(B)Love her, and she will keep you.
(C)Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
(D)Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
She will place on your head (E)an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
(F)And the years of your life will be many.
11 I have (G)taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths.
12 When you walk, (H)your steps will not be hindered,
(I)And when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life.

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Get wisdom and insight;
    do not forget and do not turn from the sayings of my mouth.
Do not forsake her—then she will guard you;
    love her and she will keep you.
The beginning of wisdom: Get wisdom!
    With all that is in your possession, gain insight.
Cherish her and she will exalt you;
    she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will give a garland for your head;
    she shall bestow a crown of glory upon you.”

The Right Path

10 Listen, my child, take my sayings,
    and the years of your life shall be great.
11 In the way of wisdom I have instructed you;
    I have led you in the path of uprightness.
12 When you walk,[a] your step will not be hampered,
    and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Seize the instruction! Do not let go!
    Guard her, for she is your life.

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 4:12 Literally “In your walking”

The Peril of Adultery

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
[a]Lend your ear to my understanding,
That you may [b]preserve discretion,
And your lips (A)may keep knowledge.

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 5:1 Lit. Bow
  2. Proverbs 5:2 appreciate good judgment

My child, be attentive to my wisdom,
    and to my understanding incline your ear;
in order to keep prudence,
    and knowledge will guard your lips.

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The Excellence of Wisdom

Does not (A)wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
She takes her stand on the top of the [a]high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
“To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
O you [b]simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
Listen, for I will speak of (B)excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 (C)For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
13 (D)The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(E)Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And (F)the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (G)I have strength.
15 (H)By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of [c]the earth.
17 (I)I love those who love me,
And (J)those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 (K)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I [d]traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

22 “The(L) Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 (M)I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 (N)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the [e]fields,
Or the [f]primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 (O)When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When (P)He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 (Q)Then I was beside Him as [g]a master craftsman;
(R)And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And (S)my delight was with the sons of men.

32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For (T)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 (U)Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And (V)obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me (W)wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”

The Way of Wisdom

Wisdom has (X)built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
(Y)She has slaughtered her meat,
(Z)She has mixed her wine,
She has also [h]furnished her table.
She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
“Whoever(AA) is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
“Come,(AB) eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.

Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 8:2 Lit. heights
  2. Proverbs 8:5 naive
  3. Proverbs 8:16 MT, Syr., Tg., Vg. righteousness; LXX, Bg., some mss. and editions earth
  4. Proverbs 8:20 walk about on
  5. Proverbs 8:26 outer places
  6. Proverbs 8:26 Lit. beginning of the dust
  7. Proverbs 8:30 A Jewish tradition one brought up
  8. Proverbs 9:2 arranged

Wisdom Calls

Does not wisdom call,
    and understanding raise its voice?
Atop the heights[a] beside the road,
    at the crossroads she stands.
Beside gates, before towns,
    at the entrance of doors, she cries out:
“To you, O people,[b] I call,
    and my cry is to the children of humankind.
Learn prudence, O simple ones;
    fools, learn intelligence.[c]
Listen! For noble things I will speak,
    and upright things from the opening of my lips.
My mouth will utter truth,
    and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All sayings of my mouth are in righteousness;
    none of them are twisted and crooked.
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.”

Wisdom’s Banquet

Wisdom has built her house;
    she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her slaughtering, mixed her wine,
    and also set her table.
She has sent her servant girls,[v] she calls
    upon the wings of the high places of town,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn here.”
    As for the one who lacks sense,[w] she says to him,
“Come, eat with my bread;
    drink with the wine I have mixed.
Lay aside simplicity and live;
    walk in the way of understanding.”

Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 8:2 Literally “At a head of the heights”
  2. Proverbs 8:4 Literally “men”
  3. Proverbs 8:5 Literally “heart”
  4. Proverbs 8:14 Literally “To/for me are advice and sound judgment”
  5. Proverbs 8:14 Literally “to/for me is strength”
  6. Proverbs 8:17 Literally “her lovers”
  7. Proverbs 8:19 Literally “fine gold”
  8. Proverbs 8:22 Or “gained,” or “acquired”
  9. Proverbs 8:22 Literally “from before” or “from then”
  10. Proverbs 8:23 Hebrew “beginnings”
  11. Proverbs 8:24 Literally “made heavy”
  12. Proverbs 8:27 Literally “in his establishing”
  13. Proverbs 8:27 Literally “in his drawing”
  14. Proverbs 8:28 Literally “in his making”
  15. Proverbs 8:29 Literally “in his assigning”
  16. Proverbs 8:29 Literally “mouth”
  17. Proverbs 8:29 Literally “in his marking”
  18. Proverbs 8:30 Literally “at the place of”
  19. Proverbs 8:30 Literally “in all of time”
  20. Proverbs 8:35 Hebrew “those who find”
  21. Proverbs 8:36 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
  22. Proverbs 9:3 Or “young maidens”
  23. Proverbs 9:4 Literally “heart”

10 “The(A) fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 (B)For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 (C)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”

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Foolishness’ Banquet

10 The start of wisdom is fear of Yahweh,
    and knowledge of the Holy One,[a] insight.
11 For by me your days shall increase,
    and years of life shall multiply for you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
    and if you scoff, alone you shall bear it.

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 9:10 Or “holy ones”

When pride comes, then comes (A)shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.

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Pride comes, then disgrace comes,
    but wisdom is with the humble.

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33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But (A)what is in the heart of fools is made known.

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33 In the heart[a] of him who has understanding, wisdom rests,
    but even in the midst of fools it becomes known.

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 14:33 Or “mind”

33 (A)The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And (B)before honor is humility.

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33 Fear of Yahweh is the instruction of the wise,
    and before honor comes humility.

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

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16 Getting wisdom: how much[a] better than gold!
    And getting understanding: it is chosen over[b] silver.

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 16:16 Literally “what”
  2. Proverbs 16:16 Literally “from”

24 (A)Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

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24 He who understands sets his face toward wisdom,
    but the eyes of a fool, to the end of the earth.[a]

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 17:24 Or “land”