Does not wisdom call,
    and understanding raise its voice?
Atop the heights beside the road,
    at the crossroads she stands.
Beside gates, before towns,
    at the entrance of doors, she cries out:
"To you, O people, I call,
    and my cry is to the children of humankind.
Learn prudence, O simple ones;
    fools, learn intelligence.
Listen! For noble things I will speak,
    and upright things from the opening of my lips.
My mouth will utter truth,
    and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All sayings of my mouth are in righteousness;
    none of them are twisted and crooked.
All of them are straight to him who understands,
    and upright to those who find knowledge.
Take my teaching and not silver;
    may you choose knowledge rather than choice gold.
For wisdom is better than jewels,
    and all desires shall not compare with her.
I, wisdom, live with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and discretion.
The fear of Yahweh is hatred of evil,
    pride, and arrogance and an evil way.
    And I hate a mouth of perversity.
Advice and sound judgment are mine;
    I am understanding, strength is mine.
By me kings reign,
    and rulers decree righteousness.
By me rulers rule,
    and nobles—all judges of righteousness.
I love those who love me,
    and those who seek me diligently shall find me.
Fortune and glory are with me,
    enduring wealth and righteousness.
My fruit is better than gold, even refined gold,
    and my yield than choice silver.
In the way of righteousness I walk,
    in the midst of paths of justice,
in order to endow those who love me with wealth,
    and I will fill their treasuries.

"Yahweh possessed me, the first of his ways,
    before his acts of old.
From eternity, I was set up from the first,
    from the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths, I was brought forth,
    when there were no springs of abounding water.
Before mountains had been shaped,
    before hills, I was brought forth.
When he had not yet made earth and fields,
    or the first dust of the world,
when he established the heavens, there I was,
    when he drew a circle upon the face of the deep,
when he made skies from above,
    when he founded fountains of the deep,
when he assigned his limits to the sea,
    that waters shall not transgress his command,
    when he marked the foundations of the earth,
I was beside him, a master workman,
    and I was delighting day by day,
    rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in the world of his earth,
    and my delight was with the children of humankind.

"And now, children, listen to me;
    happy are those who will keep my ways.
Hear teaching and be wise;
    do not neglect it.
Happy is the person who listens to me,
    in order to keep watch at my doors day by day,
    in order to guard the frames of my entrances.
For he who finds me is he who finds life,
    and he obtains favor from Yahweh.
But he who misses me injures himself.
    All those who hate me love death."

Wisdom has built her house;
    she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her slaughtering, mixed her wine,
    and also set her table.
She has sent her servant girls, she calls
    upon the wings of the high places of town,
"Whoever is simple, let him turn here."
    As for the one who lacks sense, she says to him,
"Come, eat with my bread;
    drink with the wine I have mixed.
Lay aside simplicity and live;
    walk in the way of understanding."
He who corrects a scoffer gains abuse for himself,
    and he who rebukes the wicked gets hurt.
Do not rebuke a scoffer, lest he hate you;
    rebuke the wise and he will love you.
Give to a wise one and he will become more wise;
    teach a righteous one and he will increase learning.

The start of wisdom is fear of Yahweh,
    and knowledge of the Holy One, insight.
For by me your days shall increase,
    and years of life shall multiply for you.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
    and if you scoff, alone you shall bear it.
A woman of foolishness is loud,
    simple, and does not know it.
She sits at the door of her house,
    upon a throne at the high places of town,
in order to call to those who pass by the road,
    those who go straight on their way:
"Whoever is simple, may he turn here!"
    As for he who lacks sense, she says to him,
"Stolen waters are sweet,
    and bread of secrecy is pleasant."
But he does not know that the dead are there,
    in the depths of Sheol are her guests.

The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise child makes a father glad,
    but a foolish child grieves his mother.
Treasures of wickedness do not profit,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
Yahweh will not cause a righteous person to go hungry,
    but the craving of the wicked he will thwart.
A slack hand causes poverty,
    but the hand of the diligent enriches.
He who gathers in the summer is a child who is prudent;
    he who sleeps at the harvest is a child who brings shame.
Blessings belong to the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The memory of righteousness is like a blessing,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.
A heart of wisdom will heed commandments,
    but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Whoever walks in integrity will walk securely,
    but whoever follows perversity, his ways will be made known.
The winking of an eye causes trouble,
    and the foolishness of lips comes to ruin.
A fountain of life is a mouth of righteousness,
    and a mouth of wickedness conceals violence.
Hatred stirs up strife,
    but love covers over all offenses.
On the lips of one who has understanding, wisdom is found,
    but a rod is for the back of one who lacks sense.
Those who are wise lay up knowledge,
    but to the mouth of the fool, ruin draws near.
The wealth of the rich is the city of his strength;
    the ruin of the poor is their poverty.
The wage of the righteous leads to life;
    the gain of the wicked to sin.
On the path to life is he who guards instruction,
    but he who rejects rebuke goes astray.
He who conceals hatred has lips of deceit,
    and he who utters slander—he is a fool.
In many words, transgression is not lacking,
    but he who restrains his lips is prudent.
Choice silver is a tongue of righteousness,
    a heart of wickedness is of little worth.
Lips of righteousness feed many,
    but fools die for lack of sense.
The blessing of Yahweh makes one rich,
    and he does not increase sorrow with it.
It is like a sport for a fool to do wrong,
    wisdom for a person of understanding.
The dread of the wicked will come upon him,
    but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
With the passing of the tempest, there is no wickedness,
    but the righteous have a foundation forever.
Like vinegar to the tooth and like smoke to the eyes,
    thus is the lazy to one who employs him.
The fear of Yahweh adds life,
    but the years of the wicked are shortened.
The hope of the righteous is gladness,
    but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.
A stronghold for the upright is the way of Yahweh,
    but ruin belongs to evildoers.
The righteous one is forever; he will not be removed.
    But the wicked will not remain in the land.
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
    but a tongue of perversity will be cut off.
The lips of the righteous know the acceptable,
    but the mouth of the wicked, the perverse.

Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,
the one who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war—
my loyal love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, and one in whom I take refuge,
the one who subdues peoples under me.
O Yahweh, what is humankind that you take knowledge of him,
or the son of man that you take thought of him?
Humankind is like a breath,
his days like a passing shadow.
O Yahweh, bow the heavens and come down;
touch the mountains so that they smoke.
Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
dispatch your arrows and rout them.
Stretch out your hands from on high;
Rescue me and deliver me from many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouth speaks falsely,
and their right hand is a false right hand.
O God, I will sing a new song to you.
With a lyre of ten strings I will sing praise to you,
who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant
from the evil sword.
Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouth speaks falsely,
and whose right hand is a false right hand,
that our sons may be like plants,
full grown in their youth,
our daughters like corner pillars,
carved in the style of a palace,
that our granaries may be full,
providing produce of all kinds,
that our sheep may produce by the thousands,
by the tens of thousands in our open fields,
that our cattle may be pregnant;
that there be no breach in our walls,
and no going out in exile,
and no outcry in our plazas.
Blessed are the people who have it thus.
Blessed are the people whose God is Yahweh.