Proverbs 8-9

Proverbs 8

¹Is not wisdom crying out, and the voice of knowledge sounding?

²At the top of the highways, at the meeting of the roads, she takes her place;

³Where the roads go into the town her cry goes out, at the doorways her voice is loud:

⁴I am crying out to you, O men; my voice comes to the sons of men.

⁵Become expert in reason, O you simple ones; you foolish ones, take training to heart.

⁶Give ear, for my words are true, and my lips are open to give out what is upright.

⁷For good faith goes out of my mouth, and false lips are disgusting to me.

⁸All the words of my mouth are righteousness; there is nothing false or twisted in them.

⁹They are all true to him whose mind is awake, and straightforward to those who get knowledge.

¹⁰Take my teaching, and not silver; get knowledge in place of the best gold.

¹¹For wisdom is better than jewels, and all things which may be desired are nothing in comparison with her.

¹²I, wisdom, have made wise behaviour my near relation; I am seen to be the special friend of wise purposes.

¹³The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me.

¹⁴Wise design and good sense are mine; reason and strength are mine.

¹⁵Through me kings have their power, and rulers give right decisions.

¹⁶Through me chiefs have authority, and the noble ones are judging in righteousness.

¹⁷Those who have given me their love are loved by me, and those who make search for me with care will get me.

¹⁸Wealth and honour are in my hands, even wealth without equal and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, even than the best gold; and my increase is more to be desired than silver.

²⁰I go in the road of righteousness, in the way of right judging:

²¹So that I may give my lovers wealth for their heritage, making their store-houses full.

²²The Lord made me as the start of his way, the first of his works in the past.

²³From eternal days I was given my place, from the birth of time, before the earth was.

²⁴When there was no deep I was given birth, when there were no fountains flowing with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were put in their places, before the hills was my birth:

²⁶When he had not made the earth or the fields or the dust of the world.

²⁷When he made ready the heavens I was there: when he put an arch over the face of the deep:

²⁸When he made strong the skies overhead: when the fountains of the deep were fixed:

²⁹When he put a limit to the sea, so that the waters might not go against his word: when he put in position the bases of the earth:

³⁰Then I was by his side, as a master workman: and I was his delight from day to day, playing before him at all times;

³¹Playing in his earth; and my delight was with the sons of men.

³²Give ear to me then, my sons: for happy are those who keep my ways.

³³Take my teaching and be wise; do not let it go.

³⁴Happy is the man who gives ear to me, watching at my doors day by day, keeping his place by the pillars of my house.

³⁵For whoever gets me gets life, and grace from the Lord will come to him.

³⁶But he who does evil to me, does wrong to his soul: all my haters are in love with death.

Proverbs 9

¹Wisdom has made her house, putting up her seven pillars.

²She has put her fat beasts to death; her wine is mixed, her table is ready.

³She has sent out her women-servants; her voice goes out to the highest places of the town, saying,

⁴Whoever is simple, let him come in here; and to him who has no sense, she says:

⁵Come, take of my bread, and of my wine which is mixed.

⁶Give up the simple ones and have life, and go in the way of knowledge.

⁷He who gives teaching to a man of pride gets shame for himself; he who says sharp words to a sinner gets a bad name.

⁸Do not say sharp words to a man of pride, or he will have hate for you; make them clear to a wise man, and you will be dear to him.

⁹Give teaching to a wise man, and he will become wiser; give training to an upright man, and his learning will be increased.

¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the start of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One gives a wise mind

¹¹For by me your days will be increased, and the years of your life will be long.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if your heart is full of pride, you only will have the pain of it.

¹³The foolish woman is full of noise; she has no sense at all.

¹⁴Seated at the door of her house, in the high places of the town,

¹⁵Crying out to those who go by, going straight on their way, she says:

¹⁶Whoever is simple, let him come in here: and to him who is without sense, she says:

¹⁷Drink taken without right is sweet, and food in secret is pleasing.

¹⁸But he does not see that the dead are there, that her guests are in the deep places of the underworld.