Proverbs 8:1 - 8:36 | ASV

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¹Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice?

²On the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she standeth;

³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:

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

⁵O ye simple, understand prudence; And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.

⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things.

⁷For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

⁹They are all plain to him that understandeth, And right to them that find knowledge.

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

¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.

¹²I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling, And find out knowledge `and' discretion.

¹³The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate.

¹⁴Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge: I am understanding; I have might.

¹⁵By me kings reign, And princes decree justice.

¹⁶By me princes rule, And nobles, `even' all the judges of the earth.

¹⁷I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.

¹⁸Riches and honor are with me; `Yea', durable wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice;

²¹That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries.

²²Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old.

²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was.

²⁴When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth;

²⁶While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,

²⁸When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong,

²⁹When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰Then I was by him, `as' a master workman; And I was daily `his' delight, Rejoicing always before him,

³¹Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men.

³²Now therefore, `my' sons, hearken unto me; For blessed are they that keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not.

³⁴Blessed is the man that heareth me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.

³⁵For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favor of Jehovah.

³⁶But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death.

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