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8Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
²On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
³beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
⁴“To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all that live.
⁵O simple ones, learn prudence;
acquire intelligence, you who lack it.
⁶Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right;
⁷for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
⁹They are all straight to one who understands
and right to those who find knowledge.
¹⁰Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold;
¹¹for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
¹²I, wisdom, live with prudence,
and I attain knowledge and discretion.
¹³The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
¹⁴I have good advice and sound wisdom;
I have insight, I have strength.
¹⁵By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
¹⁶by me rulers rule,
and nobles, all who govern rightly.
¹⁷I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.
¹⁸Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
²¹endowing with wealth those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.

²²The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
²³Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
²⁶when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
²⁸when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
²⁹when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth, ³⁰then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
³¹rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race. ³²“And now, my children, listen to me:
happy are those who keep my ways.
³³Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
³⁴Happy is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
³⁵For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord;
³⁶but those who miss me injure themselves;
all who hate me love death.” 9Wisdom has built her house,
she has hewn her seven pillars.
²She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
she has also set her table.
³She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
from the highest places in the town,
⁴“You that are simple, turn in here!”
To those without sense she says,
⁵“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
⁶Lay aside immaturity, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.” ⁷Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse;
whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt.
⁸A scoffer who is rebuked will only hate you;
the wise, when rebuked, will love you.
⁹Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will gain in learning.
¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it. ¹³The foolish woman is loud;
she is ignorant and knows nothing.
¹⁴She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the high places of the town,
¹⁵calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
¹⁶“You who are simple, turn in here!”
And to those without sense she says,
¹⁷“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
¹⁸But they do not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.