¹⁹ The Lord founded the earth by wisdom^(A)
and established the heavens by understanding.
²⁰ By his knowledge the watery depths broke open,^(B)
and the clouds dripped with dew.^(C)

²² “The Lord acquired^[a] me
at the beginning of his creation,^[b]
before his works of long ago.^(A)
23 I was formed^[c] before ancient times,
from the beginning, before the earth began.^(B)
24 I was born
when there were no watery depths^(C)
and no springs filled with water.
²⁵ Before the mountains were established,
prior to the hills,^(D) I was given birth—
²⁶ before he made the land, the fields,
or the first soil on earth.
²⁷ I was there when he established the heavens,^(E)
when he laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,^(F)
28 when he placed the skies above,
when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,
²⁹ when he set a limit for the sea
so that the waters would not violate his command,^(G)
when he laid out the foundations of the earth.^(H)