| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? | 1Doesn't Wisdom call out? Doesn't Understanding make her voice heard? |
| 2On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; | 2At the heights overlooking the road, at the crossroads, she takes her stand. |
| 3beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: | 3Beside the gates at the entry to the city, at the main entrance, she cries out:" |
| 4“To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. | 4People, I call out to you; my cry is to mankind. |
| 5O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. | 5Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced; develop common sense, you who are foolish. |
| 6Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, | 6Listen, for I speak of noble things, and what my lips say is right. |
| 7for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. | 7For my mouth tells the truth, and wickedness is detestable to my lips. |
| 8All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. | 8All the words of my mouth are righteous; none of them are deceptive or perverse. |
| 9They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. | 9All of them are clear to the perceptive, and right to those who discover knowledge. |
| 10Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, | 10Accept my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. |
| 11for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. | 11For wisdom is better than jewels, and nothing desirable can compare with it. |
| 12“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. | 12I, Wisdom, share a home with shrewdness and have 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. | 13To fear the LORD is to hate evil. I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech. |
| 14I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. | 14I possess good advice and competence; I have understanding and strength. |
| 15By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; | 15It is by me that kings reign and rulers enact just law; |
| 16by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly. | 16by me, princes lead, as do nobles and all righteous judges. |
| 17I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. | 17I love those who love me, and those who search for me find me. |
| 18Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. | 18With me are riches and honor, lasting wealth and righteousness. |
| 19My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. | 19My fruit is better than solid gold, and my harvest than pure silver. |
| 20I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, | 20I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, |
| 21granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. | 21giving wealth as 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. | 22The LORD made me at the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago. |
| 23Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. | 23I was formed before ancient times, from the beginning, before the earth began. |
| 24When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. | 24I was born when there were no watery depths and no springs filled with water. |
| 25Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, | 25I was delivered before the mountains and hills were established, |
| 26before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. | 26before He made the land, the fields, or the first soil on earth. |
| 27When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, | 27I was there when He established the heavens, when He laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean, |
| 28when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, | 28when He placed the skies above, when the fountains of the ocean gushed out, |
| 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, | 29when He set a limit for the sea so that the waters would not violate His command, when He laid 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, | 30I was a skilled craftsman beside Him. I was His delight every day, always rejoicing before Him. |
| 31rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man. | 31I was rejoicing in His inhabited world, delighting in the human race." |
| 32“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. | 32And now, my sons, listen to me; those who keep my ways are happy. |
| 33Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. | 33Listen to instruction and be wise; don't ignore it. |
| 34Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. | 34Anyone who listens to me is happy, watching at my doors every day, waiting by the posts of my doorway. |
| 35For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, | 35For the one who 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.” | 36but the one who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death." |
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