Proverbs 8  Common English Bible

⁴ I cry out to you, people;
    my voice goes out to all of humanity.
⁵ Understand skill, you who are naive.
    Take this to heart, you fools.
⁶ Listen, for I speak things that are correct;
    from my lips comes what is right.
⁷ My mouth utters the truth;
    my lips despise wickedness.
⁸ All the words of my mouth are righteous;
    nothing in them is twisted or crooked.
⁹ All of them are straightforward to those who understand,
    and upright for the knowledgeable.
¹⁰ Take my instruction rather than silver,
    knowledge rather than choice gold.
¹¹ Wisdom is better than pearls;
    nothing is more delightful than she.

¹² I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence;
    I have found knowledge and discretion.
¹³ To fear the Lord is to hate evil.
    I hate pride and arrogance,
        the path of evil and corrupt speech.
¹⁴ I have advice and ability,
    as well as understanding and strength.
¹⁵ By me kings rule,
    and princes issue righteous decrees.
¹⁶ By me rulers govern,
    and officials judge righteously.^[a]
17 I love those who love me;
    those who seek me will find me.
¹⁸ Riches and honor are with me,
    as well as enduring wealth and righteousness.
¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold;
    my crops are better than choice silver.
²⁰ I walk on the way of righteousness,
    on the paths of justice,
²¹     to provide for those who love me
        and to fill up their treasuries.

²² The Lord created me at the beginning of his way,
    before his deeds long in the past.
²³ I was formed in ancient times,
    at the beginning, before the earth was.
²⁴ When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth,
    when there were no springs flowing with water.
²⁵ Before the mountains were settled,
    before the hills, I was brought forth;
²⁶     before God^[b] made the earth and the fields
    or the first of the dry land.
²⁷ I was there when he established the heavens,
    when he marked out the horizon on the deep sea,
²⁸     when he thickened the clouds above,
    when he secured the fountains of the deep,
²⁹     when he set a limit for the sea,
        so the water couldn’t go beyond his command,
    when he marked out the earth’s foundations.
³⁰ I was beside him as a master of crafts.^[c]
    I was having fun,
    smiling before him all the time,
³¹     frolicking with his inhabited earth
    and delighting in the human race.

³² Now children, listen to me:
    Happy are those who keep to my ways!
³³ Listen to instruction, and be wise;
    don’t avoid it.
³⁴ Happy are those who listen to me,
    watching daily at my doors,
    waiting at my doorposts.
³⁵ Those who find me find life;
    they gain favor from the Lord.
³⁶ Those who offend me injure themselves;
all those who hate me love death.