Proverbs 8:15-31

15By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;

16by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.

17I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

18With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.

19My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.

20I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,

21bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full.

22“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old;

23I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be.

24When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water;

25before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth,

26before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth.

27I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,

28when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

29when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

30Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence,

31rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.