22. “The Lord made meat the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago.
23. I was formed before ancient times,from the beginning, before the earth began.
24. I was bornwhen there were no watery depths and no springs filled with water.
25. I was deliveredbefore the mountains and hills were established,
26. before He made the land, the fields,or the first soil on earth.
27. I was there when He established the heavens, when He laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,
28. when He placed the skies above,when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,
29. when He set a limit for the seaso that the waters would not violate His command, when He laid out the foundations of the earth.
30. I was a skilled craftsman beside Him. I was His delight every day,always rejoicing before Him.
31. I was rejoicing in His inhabited world, delighting in the human race.
32. “And now, my sons, listen to me;those who keep my ways are happy.
33. Listen to instruction and be wise; don’t ignore it.
34. Anyone who listens to me is happy, watching at my doors every day,waiting by the posts of my doorway.
35. For the one who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord,
36. but the one who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”