1She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,

and she orders all things well.*

2I loved her and sought her from my youth;

I desired to take her for my bride

and became enamored of her beauty.*

3She glorifies her noble birth by living with God,

and the Lord of all loves her.*

4For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God

and an associate in his works.

5If riches are a desirable possession in life,

what is richer than wisdom, the active cause of all things?*

6And if understanding is effective,

who more than she is fashioner of what exists?*

7And if anyone loves righteousness,

her labors are virtues,

for she teaches self-control and prudence,

justice and courage;

nothing in life is more profitable for mortals than these.

8And if anyone longs for wide experience,

she knows the things of old and infers the things to come;

she understands turns of speech and the solutions of riddles;

she has foreknowledge of signs and wonders

and of the outcome of seasons and times.*

9Therefore I determined to take her to live with me,

knowing that she would give me good counsel

and encouragement in cares and grief.*

10Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes

and honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young.*

11I shall be found keen in judgment,

and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired.*

12When I am silent they will wait for me,

and when I speak they will give heed;

if I speak at greater length,

they will put their hands on their mouths.*

13Because of her I shall have immortality

and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me.*

14I shall govern peoples,

and nations will be subject to me;*

15dread monarchs will be afraid of me when they hear of me;

among the people I shall show myself capable and courageous in war.

16When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her,

for companionship with her has no bitterness,

and life with her has no pain but gladness and joy.*

17When I considered these things inwardly

and pondered in my heart

that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,*

18and in friendship with her, pure delight,

and in the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth,

and in the experience of her company, understanding,

and renown in sharing her words,

I went about seeking how to get her for myself.*

19As a child I was naturally gifted,

and a good soul fell to my lot,

20or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.

21But I perceived that I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me—

and it was a mark of insight to know whose gift she was—

so I appealed to the Lord and implored him,

and with my whole heart I said,*