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Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
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At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
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beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:
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"To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
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You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it. 1
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Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
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My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
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All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
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To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
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Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
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for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
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"I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
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To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
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Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
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By me kings reign
and rulers issue decrees that are just;
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by me princes govern,
and nobles - all who rule on earth. 2
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I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
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With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
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My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.
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I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
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bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.
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"The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, 3 , 4
before his deeds of old;
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I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
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When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
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before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
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before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
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I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
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when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
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when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
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Then I was constantly 5 at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
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rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.
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"Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
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Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
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Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
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For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the Lord.
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But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death."