The Mind of God Sundays: Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8 (English Standard Version)

¹Does not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
²On the heights beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
³beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
⁴"To you, O men, I call,
and my cry is to the children of man.
⁵O simple ones, learn prudence;
O fools, learn sense.
⁶Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right,
⁷for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
⁹They are all straight to him who understands,
and right to those who find knowledge.
¹⁰Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
¹¹for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹²"I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
¹³The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
¹⁴I have counsel and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.
¹⁵By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
¹⁶by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly.
¹⁷I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.
¹⁸Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and righteousness.
¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the paths of justice,
²¹granting an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.

²²"The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of old.
²³Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
²⁶before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
²⁸when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
²⁹when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
³⁰then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
³¹rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.

³²"And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
³³Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
³⁴Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
³⁵For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the LORD,
³⁶but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death."