All of them are clear to the perceptive,
and right to those who discover knowledge.

“The Lord made me
at the beginning of His creation,
before His works of long ago.

Accept my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.

For wisdom is better than jewels,
and nothing desirable can compare with it.

I, Wisdom, share a home with shrewdness
and have knowledge and discretion.

by me, princes lead,
as do nobles and all righteous judges.

I possess good advice and competence;
I have understanding and strength.

It is by me that kings reign
and rulers enact just law;

With me are riches and honor,
lasting wealth and righteousness.

I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,

My fruit is better than solid gold,
and my harvest than pure silver.

I was formed before ancient times,
from the beginning, before the earth began.

I was there when He established the heavens,
when He laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,

I was born
when there were no watery depths
and no springs filled with water.

Listen, for I speak of noble things,
and what my lips say is right.

All the words of my mouth are righteous;
none of them are deceptive or perverse.

giving wealth as an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.

Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced;
develop common sense, you who are foolish.

For my mouth tells the truth,
and wickedness is detestable to my lips.

At the heights overlooking the road,
at the crossroads, she takes her stand.

I was a skilled craftsman beside Him.
I was His delight every day,
always rejoicing before Him.

before He made the land, the fields,
or the first soil on earth.

Beside the gates at the entry to the city,
at the main entrance, she cries out:

I was delivered
before the mountains and hills were established,

“People, I call out to you;
my cry is to mankind.

when He set a limit for the sea
so that the waters would not violate His command,
when He laid out the foundations of the earth.

when He placed the skies above,
when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,

I was rejoicing in His inhabited world,
delighting in the human race.

To fear the Lord is to hate evil.
I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct,
and perverse speech.

Doesn’t Wisdom call out?
Doesn’t Understanding make her voice heard?

Anyone who listens to me is happy,
watching at my doors every day,
waiting by the posts of my doorway.

I love those who love me,
and those who search for me find me.

“And now, my sons, listen to me;
those who keep my ways are happy.

but the one who misses me harms himself;
all who hate me love death.”

For the one who finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord,

Listen to instruction and be wise;
don’t ignore it.