A Poem Praising Wisdom

* 1Wisdom sings her own praise

and tells her greatness

2to those who worship the Lord

and to the Lord's armies

in heaven.

3And this is what she says:

I came from the mouth

of God Most High

and like a mist I moved

over the earth.

4 Highest heaven was my home,

and my throne was a cloud.

5Only I could travel

around the horizon

and walk in ocean depths.

6I ruled every nation,

the land, and the sea.

7But where could I find

a place to settle down?

In what nation should I live?

8Then the Creator of the world

gave me a command

telling me to set up my tent

among the descendants of Jacob,

the people of Israel.

9He created me ages ago,

before time began,

and I will never die.

10I served in his sacred tent,

and later in the temple

in Zion.

11He gave me a resting place

in Jerusalem, the city he loves,

and this is where I rule.

12Here, I put down roots

among the glorious people

who belong to the Lord.

13I grew tall, like a cedar tree

in Lebanon

or a cypress on Mount Hermon;

14like a palm tree at En-Gedi,

or the roses in Jericho;

like a beautiful olive tree

in a field,

or like an evergreen.

15My perfume smelled sweet

like the spices cinnamon and cane

mixed with fine myrrh,

or like smoke in the sacred tent

from the incense of galbanum,

onycha, and stacte.

16I spread out my branches,

beautiful and graceful,

like a giant oak,

17and like a grapevine,

they grew buds and blossoms,

and finally clusters of rich,

sweet fruit.

18Beautiful love is my child,

and so are fear and knowledge

and hope that trusts God,

and he gives me and my children

to his own people.

19So come, if you want,

and enjoy my fruit

until you are full.

20I am sweeter than honey

straight from the honeycomb,

and the sweet taste will remain

even when you have finished.

21But the more of me

that you eat and drink,

the more you will want.

22Obey me and let me work

in your life,

and you will never sin

or be disgraced.

Wisdom Is God's Law

23The wisdom of God Most High

is the Book of the Law

of Moses,

the agreement God made

with our ancestors

and gives to each new generation

as an inheritance.

24Always stay close

to the Lord All-Powerful, and he

will give you strength.

The Lord is the only true God--

he alone can rescue.

* 25God's wisdom and understanding

overflow from his Law

just as in early springtime,

the Tigris and Pishon Rivers,

26the Euphrates and the Jordan,

overflow their banks.

27God's teachings flood the land

like the Nile River

in early fall.

28The first human did not know

Wisdom very well,

nor will the last one,

29because her thoughts

are wider than the ocean,

and her advice is deeper

than the sea.

30I thought of myself

as a small canal

from the river of God's Wisdom

to my garden,

31bringing water for my flowers

and fruit trees.

But soon this canal

became wide as a river

and then as the sea.

32And so, I will teach wisdom

and make it shine like sunrise,

clearly seen from far away.

33My words flow quickly,

and like a prophet

I will leave them

for generations not yet born.

34You see, my work hasn't been

for myself alone,

but for everyone who desires

to find Wisdom.