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33 Hear instruction, and be shall seek me early, but they wise, and refuse it not. shall not find me:

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.

LESSON LXX.

WISDOM Crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets : 2 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

3 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

4 Turn ye at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

5 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

6 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

7 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

8 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

9 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they

10 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

11 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

12 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

13 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

14 But whoso hearkeneth unto me, shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

15 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

16 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.

17 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

18 Length of days is in her right hand: and in her left hand riches and honour.

19 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

20 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retaineth her.

21 Wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excelleth darkness.

22 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens,

23 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

24 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

25 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

26 The depth saith, It is not in me and the sea saith, It is not with me.

27 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

28 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

29 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.

30 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

31 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

32 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

33 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.

34 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

35 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

36 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

37 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

38 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

39 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

40 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

LESSON LXXI.

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hidden treasures;

5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8 He keepeth the paths of judgement, and preserveth the way of his saints.

9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgement, and equity; yea, every good path.

10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

11 Discretion shall preservé

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thee, understanding shall keep thee;

12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14. Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths.

¶16 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my .mouth.

17 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.

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18 Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

19 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

20 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

21 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.

22 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

23 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

24 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

¶25 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

26 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

27 For length of days, and long life, and peace shall they add to thee.

28 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thine heart.

29 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

LESSON LXXII.

WISDOM hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.

2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

3 She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city;

4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither : as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9 Give instruction to a wise

man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

12 If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.

13 Through wisdom is an house builded, and by understanding it is established:

14 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

15 A wise man is strong yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

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16 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

17 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

18 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

19 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

20 My son, attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21 Let them not depart from thine eyes keep them in the midst of thine heart.

22 For they are life unto those

that find them, and health to all their flesh.

23 Keep my commandments and live: and my law as the apple of thine eye.

24 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

25 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman :

26 Whoso despiseth the word, shall be destroyed:. but he that feareth the commandment, shall be rewarded.

27 The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

28 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

LESSON LXXIII.

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

2 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

3 Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life.

4 Put away from thee a froward mouth; and perverse lips put far from thee.

5 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eye-lids look straight before thee.

6 Ponder the path of thy feet; and let all thy ways be established.

7 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

8 Apply thine heart unto in

struction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

9 Buy the truth and sell it not, also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

10 Let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion.

11 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge:

12 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

13 That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. 14 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,

15 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

16 How much better is it to get wisdom, than gold? and to get understanding, rather to be chosen than silver?

17 The high-way of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

18 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

19 Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

SECTION XVI.-Fate of the Righteous and of the Wicked contrasted.

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6 The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.

7 His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.

8 His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lic down with him in the dust.

9 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;

10 Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it stil within his mouth:

11 Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.

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