Proverbs 8-10
Tree of Life Version
Wisdom Appeals at the Gates
8 Does not wisdom cry out,
and understanding lift her voice?
2 On the topmost heights along the way,
at the crossroads, she takes her stand.
3 Beside the gates leading into the city,
at the entrances, she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O men, I call out!
My cry is to all mankind!
5 O naïve ones, learn prudence!
Fools, gain understanding!
6 Listen, for I speak excellent things,
and my lips utter right things.
7 For my mouth speaks truth,
and my lips detest wickedness.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous,
Nothing in them is perverse or crooked.
9 All of them are straightforward to the discerning,
and right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction instead of silver
and knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than jewels,
nothing you desire compares with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and acquire knowledge with discretion.
13 To fear Adonai is to hate evil.
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and a perverse mouth.
14 Counsel and sound wisdom are mine.
I have understanding and power.
15 By me kings reign
and princes decree justice.
16 By me princes govern,
and all nobles who judge righteously.
17 I love those who love me.
Those who earnestly seek me find me.[a]
18 With me are wealth and honor,
enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than refined gold,
my harvest better than choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along paths of justice.
21 I endow substance to those who love me
and fill their treasuries.
Wisdom Before Creation
22 “Adonai brought me forth,
the first of His way,
before His works of old.
23 From eternity I was appointed
from the beginning, before the world began.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth.
26 He had not yet made the land,
the fields, or the first dust of the earth.
27 When He set the heavens in place, I was there.
When He inscribed the horizon on the face of the ocean,
28 when He established the skies above,
when He securely fixed the fountains of the deep,
29 when He set the boundaries for the sea,
so that the waters never transgress His command,
when He laid out earth’s foundations—
30 then I was the craftsman beside Him,
I was His daily delight, always rejoicing before Him,
31 rejoicing in His whole world,
and delighting in mankind.
32 “So now, children, listen to me!
Blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Heed discipline and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
34 Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting at my doorposts.
35 For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from Adonai.
36 But whoever fails to find me harms his life—
all who hate me love death.”
Wisdom and Folly Invite
9 Wisdom has built her house.
She has carved out her seven pillars.
2 She has slaughtered her meat,
she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her servant girls.
She calls from the city’s heights:
4 “Whoever is naïve, turn in here!”
To those who lack understanding, she says:
5 “Come, eat my bread
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Abandon your foolish ways and live!
Walk in the way of understanding.”
7 Whoever corrects a scoffer is asking for insult.
Whoever reproves a wicked man gets abuse.
8 Do not correct a scoffer or he will hate you.
Rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still.
Teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of Adonai is the beginning of wisdom
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For through me your days will be many
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage,
but if you scoff, you bear it alone.
13 The foolish woman is rowdy.
She is naïve and knows nothing.
14 So she sits at the door of her house,
on a seat in the heights of the city,
15 calling to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way:
16 “Whoever is naïve, let him turn in here.”
To those who lack understanding, she says:
17 “Stolen water is sweet
and bread eaten in secret is delicious!”
18 But he does not know that the dead are there—
her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Diligence and Laziness
10 The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise son gives joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 Adonai will not let a righteous soul go hungry,
but thwarts the cravings of the wicked.
4 Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
Sayings of the Mouth Matter
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a babbling fool comes to ruin.
9 One who walks in integrity, walks securely,
but one who takes crooked paths will be discovered.
10 One who winks an eye maliciously causes grief,
while a babbling fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife
but love covers up all transgressions.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of one lacking sense.
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool is near ruin.
15 The wealth of a rich man is a strong city.
Poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16 The wages of the righteous are life.
The income of the wicked is sin.[b]
17 One who heeds discipline is on the path of life,
but whoever ignores correction goes astray.
18 One who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 When words abound, transgression is unavoidable.
but whoever restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver.
The heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of understanding.
Dread or Hope
22 The blessing of Adonai brings wealth
and He adds no trouble with it.
23 As doing wickedness is delight to a fool,
so is wisdom to a man of discernment.
24 What the wicked dread will fall on them.
The desire of the righteous will be given.
25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more,
but the foundation of the righteous is everlasting.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth or smoke to the eyes,
so is a slacker to those who send him.
27 The fear of Adonai prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hope of the wicked perishes.
29 The way of Adonai is a stronghold to the upright,
but it is a ruin to those who do evil.
30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous bears the fruit of wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing,
but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 8:17 cf. Matt. 7:8.
- Proverbs 10:16 cf. Rom. 6:23.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.