²² “The Lord ·begot [or acquired; possessed] me ·when he began his work [^Lat the beginning of his path],
    long before he made anything else.
²³ I was ·created [formed; woven; or appointed] in the very beginning,
    even before the world began.
²⁴ I was ·born [brought forth] ·before there were oceans [^Lwhen there were no deeps],
    or springs ·overflowing [heavy] with water,
²⁵ before the hills were ·there [^Lsettled],
    before the mountains I was ·born [brought forth].
²⁶ God had not made the earth or ·fields [open country],
    not even the first ·dust [mud clods; soil] of the earth.
²⁷ I was there when God ·put the skies in place [established the heavens],
    when he ·stretched [decreed] the horizon over the ·oceans [deep],
²⁸ when he ·made [thickened; strengthened] the clouds above
    and put the deep underground springs in place.
²⁹ I was there when he ·ordered [decreed] the sea
    not to go beyond the borders he had set.
I was there when he ·laid [decreed] the earth’s foundation.
³⁰     I was like a ·child [nursling; or craftsman; architect] by his side.
I was ·delighted [playing] every day,
    ·enjoying [laughing in] his presence all the time,
³¹ ·enjoying [laughing with the inhabitants of] the whole world,
    and ·delighted [playing] with all its people [John 1:1–3; Col. 1:15; ^CJesus is associated with personified Wisdom in that both were present with God during creation].