1 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.
36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
<html><b>Will not wisdom call out</b> Does not the Torah announce for you the things mentioned below in this section?</html>
<html><b>at the entrance of the roof</b> Heb. קרת, the ceiling above the gate, where people sit. <b>she cries</b> Heb. תרנה, she cries, and what does she say? “To you, O men, I call.”</html>
<html><b>Hearken for I will speak noble things</b> Words of nobility and importance.</html>
<html><b>there is nothing twisted or crooked in them</b> There is no crookedness.</html>
<html><b>gold</b> Heb. חרוץ. A type of gold.</html>
<html><b>than pearls</b> Heb. מפנינים, pearls. <b>cannot be compared to it</b> They will not equal its value.</html>
<html><b>I dwelt [beside] cunning</b> Beside cunning, for since a man has learned Torah, cunning about every matter enters into him.</html>
<html><b>Fear of the Lord is to hate evil</b> This is the discipline that wisdom announces to the people.</html>
<html><b>Kings reign with me</b> for the judges and the judgments I teach them.</html>
<html><b>I will love those who love me</b> Heb. אהבי. [This is the reading.] The text is written: אוהביה, those who love her. Said the Holy One, blessed be He: “I will love those who love the Torah.” I heard this from Rabbi Aaron in the name of Rabbi Nathan. <b>I will love</b> Heb. אהב, like אאהב. <b>will find me</b> Heb. ימצאנני. There is an extra “nun,” denoting fifty. I will allow him to find the fifty gates of understanding.</html>
<html><b>There is substance to give inheritance</b> Heb. יש, lit. there is. There is with me a great inheritance.</html>
<html><b>at the beginning of His way</b> before the creation of the world.</html>
<html><b>I was enthroned, from the beginning</b> Heb. נסכתי, an expression of (Ezek. 35): “Princes (נסיכי) of the sons of man.”</html>
<html><b>I was created</b> Heb. חוללתי.</html>
<html><b>before the mountains were sunk</b> within the water.</html>
<html><b>the land and the outsides</b> The land of Israel and other lands. <b>and the beginning of the dust of the earth</b> The first man.</html>
<html><b>when He drew a circle over the face of the deep</b> When He drew the circle of the earth over the water, to draw a boundary that it may not pass. חוג is an expression of encircling, as in (Isa. 44: 13): “and with a compass (ובמחוגה) he rounds it.” (Compas in French, zirkel in German, as in Gen. 29: 17, Isa. 5:22, 44:13, and Job 22: 14.)</html>
<html><b>when He strengthened the fountains of the deep</b> When He made mighty the fountains of the deep.</html>
<html><b>when He gave the sea its boundary</b> and decreed upon the Reed Sea when he created it, on the condition that it split before Moses. <b>when He established the foundations of the earth</b> Heb. בחקו from an expression of engraving (חקוי), as in (Isa. 49:16): “Behold on [My] hands I have engraved you (חקתיך),” and so (Ezek. 43:14): “And from the bottom (מחיק) upon the ground.”</html>
<html><b>a nursling</b> Heb. אמון, one that was reared beside Him, an expression of (Lam. 4:5): “They that were reared (האמנים) amid crimson. <b>every day</b> יום יום, lit. a day a day, two thousand years.</html>
<html><b>playing in the habitable world of His earth</b> All the generations of the wicked that were from Adam to Noah and from Noah to Abraham, I was laughing at them. <b>and [having] my delights</b> I waited until the generation of the desert came and accepted me.</html>
<html><b>and do not put it to naught</b> Heb. תפרעו, and do not put my discipline to naught.</html>
<html><b>to watch</b> Heb. לשקד <b>by my doors</b> [to be the] first to enter into the study hall and the synagogue and [the] last to leave.</html>