Wisdom’s autobiography

• 8 Doesn’t Wisdom cry out
• and Understanding shout?
• ² Atop the heights along the path,
• at the crossroads she takes her stand.
• ³ By the gate before the city,
• at the entrances she shouts:

• ⁴ I cry out to you, people;
• my voice goes out to all of humanity.
• ⁵ Understand skill, you who are naive.
• Take this to heart, you fools.
• ⁶ Listen, for I speak things that are correct;
• from my lips comes what is right.
• ⁷ My mouth utters the truth;
• my lips despise wickedness.
• ⁸ All the words of my mouth are righteous;
• nothing in them is twisted or crooked.
• ⁹ All of them are straightforward to those who understand,
• and upright for the knowledgeable.
• ¹⁰ Take my instruction rather than silver,
• knowledge rather than choice gold.
• ¹¹ Wisdom is better than pearls;
• nothing is more delightful than she.

• ¹² I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence;
• I have found knowledge and discretion.
• ¹³ To fear the LORD is to hate evil.
• I hate pride and arrogance,
• the path of evil and corrupt speech.
• ¹⁴ I have advice and ability,
• as well as understanding and strength.
• ¹⁵ By me kings rule,
• and princes issue righteous decrees.
• ¹⁶ By me rulers govern,
• and officials judge righteously.^h
• ¹⁷ I love those who love me;
• those who seek me will find me.
• ¹⁸ Riches and honor are with me,
• as well as enduring wealth and righteousness.
• ¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold;
• my crops are better than choice silver.
• ²⁰ I walk on the way of righteousness,
• on the paths of justice,
• ²¹ to provide for those who love me
• and to fill up their treasuries.

• ²² The LORD created me at the beginning of his way,
• before his deeds long in the past.
• ²³ I was formed in ancient times,
• at the beginning, before the earth was.
• ²⁴ When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth,
• when there were no springs flowing with water.
• ²⁵ Before the mountains were settled,
• before the hills, I was brought forth;
• ²⁶ before Godⁱ made the earth and the fields
• or the first of the dry land.
• ²⁷ I was there when he established the heavens,
• when he marked out the horizon on the deep sea,
• ²⁸ when he thickened the clouds above,
• when he secured the fountains of the deep,
• ²⁹ when he set a limit for the sea,
• so the water couldn’t go beyond his command,
• when he marked out the earth’s foundations.
• ³⁰ I was beside him as a master of crafts.^j
• I was having fun,
• smiling before him all the time,
• ³¹ frolicking with his inhabited earth
• and delighting in the human race.

• ³² Now children, listen to me:
• Happy are those who keep to my ways!
• ³³ Listen to instruction, and be wise;
• don’t avoid it.
• ³⁴ Happy are those who listen to me,
• watching daily at my doors,
• waiting at my doorposts.
• ³⁵ Those who find me find life;
• they gain favor from the LORD .
• ³⁶ Those who offend me
• injure themselves; all those who hate me love death.

“ Woman Wisdom’s ” invitation

• 9 Wisdom built her house;
• she has carved out her seven pillars.
• ² She slaughtered her animals,
• mixed her wine,
• and set her table.
• ³ She sends out her female servants; she issues an invitation
• from the top of the city heights:
• ⁴ “ Whoever is naive turn aside here, ”
• she says to those who lack sense.
• ⁵ “ Come, eat my food,
• and drink the wine I have mixed.
• ⁶ Abandon your simplistic ways and live;
• walk in the way of understanding. ”

Wise advice

• ⁷ Whoever instructs the cynic gets insulted;
• whoever corrects the wicked gets hurt.
• ⁸ Don’t correct the impudent, or they will hate you;
• correct the wise, and they will love you.
• ⁹ Teach the wise, and they will become wiser;
• inform the righteous, and their learning will increase.
• ¹⁰ The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD ;
• the knowledge of the holy one is understanding.
• ¹¹ Through me your days will be many;
• years will be added to your life.
• ¹² If you are wise, it is to your benefit;
• if you are cynical, you will bear it all alone.

“ Woman Folly’s ” invitation

• ¹³ Woman Folly is noisy;
• she’s stupid and doesn’t even know it.
• ¹⁴ She sits at the doorway of her house,
• on a seat at the city heights.
• ¹⁵ She invites those who pass by on the path,
• those going straight on their way.
• ¹⁶ “ Whoever is naive, come in here, ”
• she says to those who lack sense.
• ¹⁷ “ Stolen water is sweet;
• food eaten in secret is pleasant. ”
• ¹⁸ But they don’t know that the dead are there;
• her guests are in the depths of the grave.^k