Proverbs 8

₁Wisdom is a woman

who is calling loudly

so that everyone can hear what she says.

₂She stands on the high places

and hills where the roads come together,

₃and she stands next to the gates

where people go into the city.

She stands at the doors and

she shouts and says:

₄‘People, I am talking to you.

Every one of you, listen to me.

₅You who know very little,

come and learn what to do,

and you who are foolish,

come and start to understand.

₆Listen, because

I want to say important things.

The things that I tell you are right.

₇What I say is true.

I hate words that are wrong.

₈Everything that I say is honest,

and nothing that I say is false or wrong.

₉Wise people know

that all my words are right.

Clever people know that what I say

will help them understand.

₁₀Choose to do what I tell you,

because it is better than having a lot of silver.

If you know what is right,

it is better than having the best gold.

₁₁Yes, wisdom is better than coral.

Wisdom is better than anything that you desire.

₁₂I am wisdom. People

who love me know what to do.

I know what people must learn

to do the right things.

₁₃If you worship the Lord,

you will also hate everything that is bad.

I hate people who are proud,

people who boast and people who are false.

₁₄I help people to decide

what is right and to get wisdom.

I make them clever and strong.

₁₅Kings use me when they rule,

and leaders use me when they must say

what is right.

₁₆Officials, important people

and those people who must judge use me.

₁₇I love everyone who loves me,

and people who look for me will find me.

₁₈I can make people rich and famous,

I can make them important and help them succeed,

and I can make people honour them.

₁₉I give people things

that are better than gold,

better than fine gold and the best silver.

₂₀Where I am, people live in the right way

and do good things to other people.

₂₁I make the people rich who love me,

and I fill their homes with treasures,

because I am wisdom.’

₂₂I am wisdom and I say:

‘The Lord made me first.

I was the first thing that He made.

₂₃I was there long ago,

from the beginning,

before He made the earth.

₂₄I was born before He made

the deep waters of the sea

or the fountains of water,

₂₅before the Lord put the mountains

where they are,

and before there were hills.

₂₆This was before the Lord

made the earth and the fields,

and before there was dust in the world.

₂₇I was there when the Lord made

the expanse above the earth,

and when He decided where

the deep water of the sea must stop

and where the sky must begin.

₂₈Then He made the clouds

and put them in the sky above

and He opened the strong fountains

under the ground.

₂₉I was there when He told the water

of the sea how far it could come

and when He built

the foundation of the earth.

₃₀I learned everything from Him,

everything that I know.

He was pleased with me every day,

and it was good for me

to be with Him all the time.

₃₁I enjoyed being

among people on earth.

It was good for me to be with them.

₃₂My children, that is why

you must listen to me.

People who live as I tell them are very happy.

₃₃You must listen to what I teach you,

and then you will find wisdom.

Don't ever let go of it.

₃₄People who listen to me are very happy.

Everyone who stays awake every day

is waiting at my door,

the door through which

you can come in to me.

₃₅Because people who find wisdom

find life, and the Lord is pleased

and He loves them.

₃₆But people who do not want

to have wisdom will suffer.

Everyone who does not love me loves death.’