¹The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

²Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

³They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

⁴Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

⁵It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

⁶It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷The law of the Lord is perfect,

refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

⁸The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

⁹The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring for ever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm,

and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the honeycomb.

¹¹By them your servant is warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

12But who can discern their own errors?

Forgive my hidden faults.

¹³Keep your servant also from wilful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then I will be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

A psalm of David.

¹ Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

²Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

³When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

⁴what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

⁵You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honour.

⁶You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their feet:

⁷all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

⁸the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹ Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

¹Does not wisdom call out?

Does not understanding raise her voice?

²At the highest point along the way,

where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

³beside the gate leading into the city,

at the entrance, she cries aloud:

⁴‘To you, O people, I call out;

I raise my voice to all humanity.

⁵You who are simple, gain prudence;

you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.

⁶Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;

I open my lips to speak what is right.

⁷My mouth speaks what is true,

for my lips detest wickedness.

⁸All the words of my mouth are just;

none of them is crooked or perverse.

⁹To the discerning all of them are right;

they are upright to those who have found knowledge.

¹⁰Choose my instruction instead of silver,

knowledge rather than choice gold,

¹¹for wisdom is more precious than rubies,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.

¹²‘I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;

I possess knowledge and discretion.

¹³To fear the Lord is to hate evil;

I hate pride and arrogance,

evil behaviour and perverse speech.

¹⁴Counsel and sound judgment are mine;

I have insight, I have power.

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 honour,

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 that 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 the human race.

³²‘Now then, my children, listen to me;

blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³Listen to my instruction and be wise;

do not disregard it.

³⁴Blessed are those who listen to me,

watching daily at my doors,

waiting at my doorway.

³⁵For those who find me find life

and receive favour from the Lord.

³⁶But those who fail to find me harm themselves;

all who hate me love death.’