8 ² I loved her and sought her from my youth,
and I desired to take her for my bride,
and I became enamored of her beauty.
8 ³ She glorifies her noble birth by living with God,
and the Lord of all loves her.
8 ⁴ For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God,
and an associate in his works.
8 ⁵ If riches are a desirable possession in life,
what is richer than wisdom who effects all things?
8 ⁶ And if understanding is effective,
who more than she is fashioner of what exists?
8 ⁷ And if any one loves righteousness,
her labours are virtues;
for she teaches self-control and prudence,
justice and courage;
nothing in life is more profitable for men than these.
8 ⁸ And if any one 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.
8 ⁹ Therefore I determined to take her to live with me,
knowing that she would give me good counsel
and encouragement in cares and grief.
8 ¹⁰ Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes
and honour in the presence of the elders, though I am young.
8 ¹¹ I shall be found keen in judgment,
and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired.
8 ¹² When I am silent they will wait for me,
and when I speak they will give heed;
and when I speak at greater length
they will put their hands on their mouths.
8 ¹³ Because of her I shall have immortality,
and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me.
8 ¹⁴ I shall govern peoples, and nations will be subject to me;
8 ¹⁵ dread monarchs will be afraid of me when they hear of me;
among the people I shall show myself capable, and courageous in war.
8 ¹⁶ When 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.
8 ¹⁷ When I considered these things inwardly,
and thought upon them in my mind,
that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,
8 ¹⁸ and in friendship with her, pure delight,
and in the labours 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.
8 ¹⁹ As a child I was by nature well endowed,
and a good soul fell to my lot;
8 ²⁰ or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.
8 ²¹ But 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 besought him,
and with my whole heart I said: