2 On the top of the heights beside the way,Where the paths meet, wisdom takes her stand;
2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
2 At the heights overlooking the road,at the crossroads, she takes her stand.
2 On top of the highest places along the road she stands where the roads meet.
4 “To you, O men, I call,And my voice is directed to the sons of men.
4 “To you, O men, I call,And my voice is to the sons of men.
4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
4 “People, I call out to you;my cry is to mankind.
4 "I'm calling to you, men! What I have to say pertains to all mankind!
5 “O you naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled], understand prudence and seek astute common sense;And, O you [closed-minded, self-confident] fools, understand wisdom [seek the insight and self-discipline that leads to godly living].(A)
5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
5 Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced;develop common sense, you who are foolish.
5 Understand prudence, you naive people; and gain an understanding heart, you foolish ones.
6 “Listen, for I will speak excellent and noble things;And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.
6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
6 Listen, for I speak of noble things,and what my lips say is right.
6 Listen, because I have noble things to say, and what I have to say will reveal what is right.
8 “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness (upright, in right standing with God);There is nothing contrary to truth or perverted (crooked) in them.
8 “All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;There is nothing (I)crooked or perverted in them.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
8 Everything I have to say is just; there isn't anything corrupt or perverse in my speech.
9 “They are all straightforward to him who understands [with an open and willing mind],And right to those who find knowledge and live by it.
9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
9 Everything I say is sensible to someone who understands, and correct to those who have acquired knowledge.
13 “The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil;Pride and arrogance and the evil way,And the perverted mouth, I hate.
13 “The (Q)fear of the Lord is to hate evil;(R)Pride and arrogance and (S)the evil wayAnd the (T)perverted mouth, I hate.
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. Pride, arrogance, an evil lifestyle, and perverted speech I despise.
20 “I, [Wisdom, continuously] walk in the way of righteousness,In the midst of the paths of justice,
20 “I walk in the way of righteousness,In the midst of the paths of justice,
20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,along the paths of justice,
20 I walk on the way of righteousness, along paths that are just,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth and true riches,And that I may fill their treasuries.
21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
21 giving wealth as an inheritance to those who love me,and filling their treasuries.
21 I bequeath wealth to those who love me, and I will fill their treasuries."
23 “From everlasting I was established and ordained,From the beginning, before the earth existed, [I, godly wisdom, existed].(G)
23 “From everlasting I was (f)(AG)established,From the beginning, (AH)from the earliest times of the earth.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
23 From eternity I was appointed, from the beginning, from before there was land.
24 “When there were no ocean depths I was born,When there were no fountains and springs overflowing with water.
24 “When there were no (AI)depths I was (g)brought forth,When there were no springs abounding with water.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
24 When there were no ocean depths, I brought them to birth at a time when there were no springs.
26 While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,Or the first of the dust of the earth.
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
26 before He made the land, the fields,or the first soil on earth.
26 Even though he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the world's first grains of dust,
27 “When He established the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there;When He drew a circle upon the face of the deep,
27 “When He (AK)established the heavens, I was there,When (AL)He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
27 I was there when He established the heavens,(V)when He laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,(W)
27 when he crafted the heavens, I was there when he marked out a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He made firm the skies above,When the fountains and springs of the deep became fixed and strong,
28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
28 when He placed the skies above,when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,
28 when he made the clouds from above, when the springs of the depths were established,
29 When He set for the sea its boundarySo that the waters would not transgress [the boundaries set by] His command,When He marked out the foundations of the earth—(I)
29 When (AM)He set for the sea its boundarySo that the water would not transgress His (k)command,When He marked out (AN)the foundations of the earth;
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:
29 when He set a limit for the seaso that the waters would not violate His command,(X)when He laid out the foundations of the earth.(Y)
29 when he set a boundary for the sea so the waters would not exceed his limits, when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was beside Him, as a master craftsman;And I was daily His delight;Rejoicing before Him always,(J)
30 Then (AO)I was beside Him, as a master workman;And I was daily His delight,(l)Rejoicing always before Him,
30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
30 I was a skilled craftsman(f) beside Him.(Z)I was His(g) delight every day,always rejoicing before Him.
30 Then I was with him, his master craftsman I was his delight daily, continuously rejoicing in his presence,
34 “Blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] is the man who listens to me,Watching daily at my gates,Waiting at my doorposts.
34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
34 Anyone who listens to me is happy,(AE)watching at my doors every day,waiting by the posts of my doorway.
34 Blessed is the person who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorways
Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.
International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.
King James Version Public Domain
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