1  Doth not wisdom call, and understanding put forth her voice?

1  Thou shalt proclaim wisdom, that understanding may be obedient to thee.

1  THEREFORE preach wisdom, and understanding will answer you.

2  In the top of high places by the way, where the paths meet, she standeth;

2  For she is on lofty eminences, and stands in the midst of the ways.

2  At the summits and the tops of exalted places, standing above the ways, in the midst of the paths,

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

3  For she sits by the gates of princes, and sings in the entrances, saying,

3  She cries at the gates, at the entrance of the city; she cries aloud, saying,

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

4  You, O men, I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men.

4  “O men, to you I call out, and my voice is to the sons of men.

5  O ye thoughtless, understand prudence, and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

5  O ye simple, understand subtlety, and ye that are untaught, imbibe knowledge.

5  O little ones, understand discernment. And you who are unwise, turn your souls.

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

6  Hearken to me; for I will speak solemn truths; and will produce right sayings from my lips.

6  Listen, for I will speak about great things, and my lips will be opened, so as to foretell what is right.

7  For my mouth shall utter truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

7  For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me.

7  My throat shall practice truth, and my lips shall detest the impious.

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

8  All my words are just. There is no depravity in them, and no perversity.

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

9  They are upright to those who understand, and equitable to those who discover knowledge.

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

10  Accept my discipline, and not money. Choose the doctrine that is greater than gold.

10  Receive discipline and not silver; and choose for yourself knowledge rather than fine gold.

11  For wisdom is better than rubies, and all things desirable are not to be compared unto her.

11  For wisdom is much better than fine gold; yea, she is better than precious stones, and nothing can be compared to her.

12  I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of devices.

12  I, wisdom, dwell in counsel, and I am inside learned thoughts.

12  I wisdom have created prudence, and I posses knowledge and reason.

13  The fear of YHWH is to hate evil; pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

13  The fear of the Lord hates unrighteousness, and insolence, and pride, and the ways of wicked men; and I hate the perverse ways of bad men.

13  Reverence of the LORD despises evil; pride, arrogance, evil ways, and perverse speech do I hate.

14  Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.

14  Counsel and safety are mine; prudence is mine, and strength is mine.

15  By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

15  Through me, kings reign and legislators decree just conditions.

16  By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

16  By me nobles become great, and monarchs by me rule over the earth.

16  Through me, princes rule and the powerful decree justice.

17  I love them that love me, and those that seek me earnestly shall find me.

17  I love those who love me. And those who stand watch for me until morning shall discover me.

18  Riches and honour are with me; yea, enduring riches and righteousness.

18  Wealth and glory belong to me; yea, abundant possessions and righteousness.

18  With me, are wealth and glory, superb riches and justice.

19  My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my produce than choice silver.

19  It is better to have my fruit than to have gold and precious stones; and my produce is better than choice silver.

19  For my fruit is better than gold and precious stones, and my progeny better than choice silver.

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

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

21  that I may divide substance to them that love me, and may fill their treasures with good things. If I declare to you the things that daily happen, I will remember also to recount the things of old.

21  so that I may enrich those who love me, and thus complete their treasures.

22 The Lord had me (as) the beginning of his way,

before his works of yore.

22 The Lord made me the beginning of his ways

to/for his works.

22 The Lord possessed me the beginning of his ways,

before he made anything, from the beginning.

23 From antiquity I was fashioned,

from the start, from the origins of the earth.

23 Before (this) age, he firmly founded me,

in the beginning.

23 Before eternity I was brought into being,

from ancient times, before the earth was made.

24 When there were no depths I was brought forth;

when there were no springs abounding with water.

24 Before he made the earth and before he made the depths;

before the fountains of the waters came forth.

24 There were no watery depths yet, I had already been conceived,

nor had the fountains of the waters yet burst forth.

25 Before the mountains had been shaped,

before the hills, I was brought forth;

25 Before the mountains had been set in place,

and before all the hills, he begets me!

25 The mountains had not yet settled in their heavy bulk,

before the hills I was being brought forth.

26 before he had made the earth with its fields,

or the first of the dust of the world.

26 The Lord made both (populated) lands and (those) uninhabited,

and inhabited extremes of (what is) beneath the sky.

26 He had not as yet made the earth,

and the rivers and the pivots of the earth’s orb.

27 When he established the heavens I was there,

when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

27 At the time when he was readying the sky, I was present to him

and when he was marking off his throne upon the winds.

27 When he was equiping the skies, I was there,

when with fixed law and compass he was entrenching the watery depths,

28 when he made firm the skies above,

when he established the fountains of the deep,

28 At the time when he was making strong the clouds above,

and as he was rendering secure the fountains of (what is) beneath the sky,

28 when he was making firm the upper air

and giving slope to the fountains of the waters,

29 when 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,

29 when he was making strong the foundations of the earth,

29 when he was making a boundary around the sea,

and setting a law for the waters that they not go past their limits,

when suspended the foundations of the earth,

30 then I was beside him faithfully;

and I was a delight, rejoicing before him always,

30 I was duly beside him: I was the one in whom he delighted,

and daily I was rejoicing before him at every moment,

30 I was with him arranging everything;

and I was delighted every day, playing before him always,

31 rejoicing in his inhabited world

and delighting in the sons of men.

31 when he was rejoicing after having brought the world to completion

and rejoicing in the sons of men.

31 playing in the world,

and my delight: to be with the children of men.

32  Now therefore, ye children, hearken unto me; for happy are they that keep my ways.

32  Now then, my son, hear me: blessed is the man who shall hearken to me, and the mortal who shall keep my ways;

32  Therefore, sons, hear me now. Blessed are those who preserve my ways.

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

33  Listen to discipline, and become wise, and do not be willing to cast it aside.

34  Happy is the man that hearkeneth to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

34  watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my entrances.

34  Blessed is the man who listens to me, and who stands watch at my gates everyday, and who observes at the posts of my doors.

35  For whoso findeth me findeth life, and obtaineth favour of YHWH.

35  For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favour from the Lord.

35  He who finds me, finds life, and he will draw salvation from the Lord.

36  But he that misseth me wrongeth his own soul; all they that hate me love death.'

36  But they that sin against me act wickedly against their own souls: and they that hate me love death.

36  But he who sins against me will wound his own soul. All who hate me love death.”