章 |
8:1 |
Doth not wisdom call? And understanding give forth her voice?
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8:2 |
At the head of high places by the way, Between the paths she hath stood,
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8:3 |
At the side of the gates, at the mouth of the city, The entrance of the openings, she crieth aloud,
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8:4 |
`Unto you, O men, I call, And my voice [is] unto the sons of men.
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8:5 |
Understand, ye simple ones, prudence, And ye fools, understand the heart,
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8:6 |
Hearken, for noble things I speak, And the opening of my lips [is] uprightness.
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8:7 |
For truth doth my mouth utter, And an abomination to my lips [is] wickedness.
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8:8 |
In righteousness [are] all the sayings of my mouth, Nothing in them is froward and perverse.
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8:9 |
All of them [are] plain to the intelligent, And upright to those finding knowledge.
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8:10 |
Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold.
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8:11 |
For better [is] wisdom than rubies, Yea, all delights are not comparable with it.
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8:12 |
I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, And a knowledge of devices I find out.
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8:13 |
The fear of Jehovah [is] to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way, And a froward mouth, I have hated.
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8:14 |
Mine [is] counsel and substance, I [am] understanding, I have might.
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8:15 |
By me kings reign, and princes decree righteousness,
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8:16 |
By me do chiefs rule, and nobles, All judges of the earth.
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8:17 |
I love those loving me, And those seeking me earnestly do find me.
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8:18 |
Wealth and honour [are] with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.
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8:19 |
Better [is] my fruit than gold, even fine gold, And mine increase than choice silver.
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8:20 |
In a path of righteousness I cause to walk, In midst of paths of judgment,
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8:21 |
To cause my lovers to inherit substance, Yea, their treasures I fill.
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8:22 |
Jehovah possessed me -- the beginning of His way, Before His works since then.
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8:23 |
From the age I was anointed, from the first, From former states of the earth.
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8:24 |
In there being no depths, I was brought forth, In there being no fountains heavy [with] waters,
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8:25 |
Before mountains were sunk, Before heights, I was brought forth.
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8:26 |
While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.
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8:27 |
In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep,
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8:28 |
In His strengthening clouds above, In His making strong fountains of the deep,
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8:29 |
In His setting for the sea its limit, And the waters transgress not His command, In His decreeing the foundations of earth,
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8:30 |
Then I am near Him, a workman, And I am a delight -- day by day. Rejoicing before Him at all times,
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8:31 |
Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights [are] with the sons of men.
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8:32 |
And now, ye sons, hearken to me, Yea, happy are they who keep my ways.
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8:33 |
Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight not.
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8:34 |
O the happiness of the man hearkening to me, To watch at my doors day by day, To watch at the door-posts of my entrance.
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8:35 |
For whoso is finding me, hath found life, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah.
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8:36 |
And whoso is missing me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death!
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