Proverbs, Chapters 8-9: BIBLE, New American Standard Bible == BIBLE-CENTER

Proverbs, Chapter 8

Does not wisdom call,
And understanding^alift up her voice?

On top of the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

Beside the gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

⁴

“To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.

⁵

“O^bnaive ones, understand prudence;
And, O fools, understand^cwisdom.

⁶

“Listen, for I will speak noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

⁷

“For my mouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸

“All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.

⁹

“They are all straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰

“Take my instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.

¹¹

“For wisdom is better than^djewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

¹²

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And I find knowledge and discretion.

¹³

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.

¹⁴

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

¹⁵

“By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.

¹⁶

“By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.

¹⁷

“I love those who love me;
And those who diligently seek me will find me.

¹⁸

“Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹

“My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than choicest silver.

²⁰

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

²¹

To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

²²

“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works^eof old.

²³

“From everlasting I was^festablished,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.

²⁴

“When there were no depths I was^gbrought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵

“Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was^hbrought forth;

²⁶

While He had not yet made the earth and theⁱfields,
Nor the first dust of the world.

²⁷

“When He established the heavens, I was there,
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸

When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became^jfixed,

²⁹

When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His^kcommand,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰

Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
^lRejoicing always before Him,

³¹

^mRejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men.

³²

“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.

³³

“Heed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.

³⁴

“Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

³⁵

“For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the LORD.

³⁶

“But he whoⁿsins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love death.”

Proverbs, Chapter 9

Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;

She has^aprepared her food, she has mixed her wine;
She has also set her table;

She has sent out her maidens, she calls
From the tops of the heights of the city:

⁴

“Whoever is^bnaive, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks^cunderstanding she says,

⁵

“Come, eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.

⁶

“^dForsake your folly and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.”

⁷

He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And he who reproves a wicked man gets^einsults for himself.

⁸

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

⁹

Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

¹⁰

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹

For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.

¹²

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

¹³

The^fwoman of folly is boisterous,
She is^gnaive and knows nothing.

¹⁴

She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by the high places of the city,

¹⁵

Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their paths straight:

¹⁶

“Whoever is^hnaive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacksⁱunderstanding she says,

¹⁷

“Stolen water is sweet;
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

¹⁸

But he does not know that the^jdead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.


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