The Excellence and Eternity of Wisdom

8¹ Does not wisdom call, does not understanding raise her voice? ² On the heights beside the way, in the paths she takes her stand; ³ beside 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 sons of men. ⁵ O simple ones, learn prudence; O foolish men, pay attention. ⁶ Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right; ⁷ for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. ⁸ All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. ⁹ They are all straight to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge. ¹⁰ Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; ¹¹ for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

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

²² The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. ²³ Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. ²⁴ When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. ²⁵ Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth; ²⁶ before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. ²⁷ When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, ²⁸ when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, ²⁹ when 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, ³⁰ then I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, ³¹ rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the sons of men.

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

Wisdom and the Foolish Woman

9¹ Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars. ² She has slaughtered her beasts, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table. ³ She has sent out her maids to call from the highest places in the town, ⁴ "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who is without sense she says, ⁵ "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. ⁶ Leave simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of insight." ⁷ He who corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. ⁸ Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. ⁹ Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. ¹¹ For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. ¹² If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

¹³ A foolish woman is noisy; she is wanton and knows no shame. ¹⁴ She sits at the door of her house, she takes a seat on the high places of the town, ¹⁵ calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, ¹⁶ "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" And to him who is without sense she says, ¹⁷ "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." ¹⁸ But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Ministers of the New Covenant

3¹ Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? ² You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; ³ and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. ⁴ Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God,

⁶ who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life. ⁷ Now if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendor that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness, fading as this was, ⁸ will not the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendor? ⁹ For if there was splendor in the dispensation of condemnation, the dispensation of righteousness must far exceed it in splendor. ¹⁰ Indeed, in this case, what once had splendor has come to have no splendor at all, because of the splendor that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if what faded away came with splendor, what is permanent must have much more splendor.

¹² Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, ¹³ not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor. ¹⁴ But their minds were hardened; for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵ Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their minds; ¹⁶ but when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.