Proverbs · Bible in Basic English
Proverbs 8 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Is not wisdom crying out, and the voice of knowledge sounding?
1 Doesn’t wisdom cry out? Doesn’t understanding raise her voice?
2 At the top of the highways, at the meeting of the roads, she takes her place;
2 On the top of high places by the way, where the paths meet, she stands.
3 Where the roads go into the town her cry goes out, at the doorways her voice is loud:
3 Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entry doors, she cries aloud:
4 I am crying out to you, O men; my voice comes to the sons of men.
4 “I call to you men! I send my voice to the sons of mankind.
5 Become expert in reason, O you simple ones; you foolish ones, take training to heart.
5 You simple, understand prudence! You fools, be of an understanding heart!
6 Give ear, for my words are true, and my lips are open to give out what is upright.
6 Hear, for I will speak excellent things. The opening of my lips is for right things.
7 For good faith goes out of my mouth, and false lips are disgusting to me.
7 For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteousness; there is nothing false or twisted in them.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.
9 They are all true to him whose mind is awake, and straightforward to those who get knowledge.
9 They are all plain to him who understands, right to those who find knowledge.
10 Take my teaching, and not silver; get knowledge in place of the best gold.
10 Receive my instruction rather than silver, knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than jewels, and all things which may be desired are nothing in comparison with her.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies. All the things that may be desired can’t be compared to it.
12 I, wisdom, have made wise behaviour my near relation; I am seen to be the special friend of wise purposes.
12 “I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling. Find out knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the Lord is seen in hating evil: pride, a high opinion of oneself, the evil way, and the false tongue, are unpleasing to me.
13 The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.
14 Wise design and good sense are mine; reason and strength are mine.
14 Counsel and sound knowledge are mine. I have understanding and power.
15 Through me kings have their power, and rulers give right decisions.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
16 Through me chiefs have authority, and the noble ones are judging in righteousness.
16 By me princes rule, nobles, and all the righteous rulers of the earth.
17 Those who have given me their love are loved by me, and those who make search for me with care will get me.
17 I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 Wealth and honour are in my hands, even wealth without equal and righteousness.
18 With me are riches, honor, enduring wealth, and prosperity.
19 My fruit is better than gold, even than the best gold; and my increase is more to be desired than silver.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, my yield than choice silver.
20 I go in the road of righteousness, in the way of right judging:
20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the middle of the paths of justice,
21 So that I may give my lovers wealth for their heritage, making their store-houses full.
21 that I may give wealth to those who love me. I fill their treasuries.
22 The Lord made me as the start of his way, the first of his works in the past.
22 “Yahweh possessed me in the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old.
23 From eternal days I was given my place, from the birth of time, before the earth was.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth existed.
24 When there was no deep I was given birth, when there were no fountains flowing with water.
24 When there were no depths, I was born, when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were put in their places, before the hills was my birth:
25 Before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was born;
26 When he had not made the earth or the fields or the dust of the world.
26 while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.
27 When he made ready the heavens I was there: when he put an arch over the face of the deep:
27 When he established the heavens, I was there. When he set a circle on the surface of the deep,
28 When he made strong the skies overhead: when the fountains of the deep were fixed:
28 when he established the clouds above, when the springs of the deep became strong,
29 When he put a limit to the sea, so that the waters might not go against his word: when he put in position the bases of the earth:
29 when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 Then I was by his side, as a master workman: and I was his delight from day to day, playing before him at all times;
30 then I was the craftsman by his side. I was a delight day by day, always rejoicing before him,
31 Playing in his earth; and my delight was with the sons of men.
31 rejoicing in his whole world. My delight was with the sons of men.
32 Give ear to me then, my sons: for happy are those who keep my ways.
32 “Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Take my teaching and be wise; do not let it go.
33 Hear instruction, and be wise. Don’t refuse it.
34 Happy is the man who gives ear to me, watching at my doors day by day, keeping his place by the pillars of my house.
34 Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts.
35 For whoever gets me gets life, and grace from the Lord will come to him.
35 For whoever finds me finds life, and will obtain favor from Yahweh.
36 But he who does evil to me, does wrong to his soul: all my haters are in love with death.
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death.”
Cross references (34)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Proverbs 1:20–21; Matthew 3:3; John 7:37; Proverbs 9:1–3; Acts 1:8
- 2 Proverbs 9:14; Proverbs 9:3
- 3 Job 29:7; Luke 14:21–23; Matthew 22:9; Acts 5:20; John 18:20
- 4 Matthew 11:15; Psalm 50:1; John 3:16; Psalm 49:1–3; Revelation 22:17
- 5 Proverbs 1:22; Acts 26:18; Proverbs 9:4; Revelation 3:17–18; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11
- 6 Colossians 1:26; Matthew 7:28–29; Matthew 13:35; Proverbs 4:2; Proverbs 23:16
- 7 Psalm 37:30; John 8:14; John 17:17; Proverbs 12:22; Job 36:4
- 8 John 7:46; Proverbs 8:13; Psalm 12:6; Deuteronomy 32:5; Isaiah 45:23
- 9 Proverbs 14:6; James 1:5; John 7:17; Psalm 25:12–14; John 6:45
- 10 Proverbs 2:4–5; Psalm 119:127; Psalm 119:72; Proverbs 23:23; Proverbs 3:13–15
- 11 Proverbs 3:14–15; Proverbs 4:5–7; Proverbs 16:16; Psalm 119:127; Psalm 19:10
- 12 Isaiah 28:26; Exodus 35:30–36:4; Exodus 31:3–6; Romans 11:33; Proverbs 1:4
- 13 Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 16:6; 1 Samuel 2:3; Proverbs 4:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:22
- 14 Ecclesiastes 7:19; Isaiah 9:6; Romans 11:33–34; Isaiah 40:14; Ecclesiastes 9:16–18
- 15 Romans 13:1; Daniel 2:21; Matthew 28:18; Revelation 19:16; Daniel 7:13–14
- 17 John 14:23; John 14:21; Psalm 91:14; Isaiah 55:6; 1 John 4:19
- 18 Proverbs 3:16; Matthew 6:33; Luke 16:11–12; Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 3:8
- 19 Proverbs 3:14; Proverbs 10:20; Ecclesiastes 7:12; Proverbs 8:10
- 20 John 10:27–28; Psalm 32:8; Deuteronomy 5:32; Proverbs 4:11–12; Proverbs 6:22
- 21 1 Peter 1:4; Proverbs 24:4; Genesis 15:14; Matthew 25:46; Hebrews 10:34
- 22 Colossians 1:17; John 1:1–2; Proverbs 3:19; Psalm 104:24; Job 28:26–28
- 23 John 17:24; John 17:5; Genesis 1:26; Micah 5:2; Psalm 2:6
- 24 Proverbs 3:20; 1 John 4:9; Genesis 1:2; Hebrews 1:5; John 5:20
- 25 Psalm 90:2; Job 15:7–8; Job 38:4–11; Psalm 102:25–28; Hebrews 1:10
- 26 Genesis 1:1–31
- 27 Isaiah 40:22; Job 26:10; Proverbs 3:19; Psalm 136:5; Colossians 1:16
- 29 Psalm 104:9; Jeremiah 5:22; Genesis 1:9–10; Psalm 33:7; Psalm 104:5
- 30 John 1:1–3; John 1:18; Matthew 3:17; John 16:28; Isaiah 42:1
- 31 Psalm 16:3; John 13:1; Psalm 40:6–8; 2 Corinthians 8:9; John 4:34
- 32 Luke 11:28; Psalm 119:1–2; Psalm 128:1; Psalm 1:1–4; Proverbs 5:7
- 33 Proverbs 4:1; Psalm 81:11–12; Proverbs 1:8; Proverbs 5:1; Proverbs 1:2–3
- 34 Matthew 7:24; Luke 11:28; Proverbs 3:13; Psalm 27:4; Acts 2:42
- 35 John 3:36; 1 John 5:11–12; Proverbs 12:2; Philippians 3:8; John 17:3
- 36 Proverbs 15:32; Proverbs 1:31; John 15:23–24; 1 Corinthians 16:22; Proverbs 12:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… in His work: He set me up from everlasting, in the beginning, before He made the earth, before He established the depths, and before the fountains of waters gushed forth; before the mountains were made strong, and before all the hills, He brought me forth." And again: "When He prepared the heaven, I was with Him, and when He established …
"Who shall deliver him from the body of this death," but Thy grace only, "through Jesus Christ our Lord,'" whom Thou hast begotten co-eternal, and createdst in the beginning of Thy ways, in whom the Prince of this world found nothing worthy of death, yet killed he Him, and the handwriting which was contrary to us was blotted out?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
In their eyes the following is only too ready to hand "The Lord created me at the beginning of His ways with a view to His works." How shall we meet this?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
But others, though future, are put in the past tense, as, for instance, This is our God: Therefore He was seen upon the earth and dwelt among men, and The Lord created me in the beginning of His ways for His works, and Wherefore God, thy God, anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows, and such …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 9 (1899)
I was He in whom He rejoiced, and throughout all time I was daily glad before His face, when He rejoiced at the completion of the world, and was delighted in the sons of men."