Proverbs 8-9

Proverbs 8

¹Doth not wisdom call? And understanding give forth her voice?

²At the head of high places by the way, Between the paths she hath stood,

³At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, she crieth aloud,

⁴‘Unto you, O men, I call, And my voice is unto the sons of men.

⁵Understand, ye simple ones, prudence, And ye fools, understand the heart,

⁶Hearken, for noble things I speak, And the opening of my lips is uprightness.

⁷For truth doth my mouth utter, And an abomination to my lips is wickedness.

⁸In righteousness are all the sayings of my mouth, Nothing in them is froward and perverse.

⁹All of them are plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold.

¹¹For better is wisdom than rubies, Yea, all delights are not comparable with it.

¹²I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And a knowledge of devices I find out.

¹³The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a froward mouth, I have hated.

¹⁴Mine is counsel and substance, I am understanding, I have might.

¹⁵By me kings reign, and princes decree righteousness,

¹⁶By me do chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of the earth.

¹⁷I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly do find me.

¹⁸Wealth and honour are with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.

¹⁹Better is my fruit than gold, even fine gold, And mine increase than choice silver.

²⁰In a path of righteousness I cause to walk, In midst of paths of judgment,

²¹To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Yea, their treasures I fill.

²²Jehovah possessed me -- the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.

²³From the age I was anointed, from the first, From former states of the earth.

²⁴In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy with waters,

²⁵Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.

²⁶While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.

²⁷In His preparing the heavens I am there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep,

²⁹In His setting for the sea its limit, And the waters transgress not His command, In His decreeing the foundations of earth,

³⁰Then I am near Him, a workman, And I am a delight -- day by day. Rejoicing before Him at all times,

³¹Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights are with the sons of men.

³²And now, ye sons, hearken to me, Yea, happy are they who keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight not.

³⁴O the happiness of the man hearkening to me, To watch at my doors day by day, To watch at the door-posts of my entrance.

³⁵For whoso is finding me, hath found life, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah.

³⁶And whoso is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!

Proverbs 9

¹Wisdom hath builded her house, She hath hewn out her pillars -- seven.

²She hath slaughtered her slaughter, She hath mingled her wine, Yea, she hath arranged her table.

³She hath sent forth her damsels, She crieth on the tops of the high places of the city:

⁴‘Who is simple? let him turn aside hither.' Whoso lacketh heart: she hath said to him,

⁵‘Come, eat of my bread, And drink of the wine I have mingled.

⁶Forsake ye, the simple, and live, And be happy in the way of understanding.

⁷The instructor of a scorner Is receiving for it -- shame, And a reprover of the wicked -- his blemish.

⁸Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee, Give reproof to the wise, and he loveth thee.

⁹Give to the wise, and he is wiser still, Make known to the righteous, And he increaseth learning.

¹⁰The commencement of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah, And a knowledge of the Holy Ones is understanding.

¹¹For by me do thy days multiply, And added to thee are years of life.

¹²If thou hast been wise, thou hast been wise for thyself, And thou hast scorned -- thyself bearest it.

¹³A foolish woman is noisy, Simple, and hath not known what.

¹⁴And she hath sat at the opening of her house, On a throne -- the high places of the city,

¹⁵To call to those passing by the way, Who are going straight on their paths.

¹⁶‘Who is simple? let him turn aside hither.' And whoso lacketh heart -- she said to him,

¹⁷‘Stolen waters are sweet, And hidden bread is pleasant.'

¹⁸And he hath not known that Rephaim are there, In deep places of Sheol her invited ones!