22. "The Lord created me as the first of his works, before his acts of long ago.
23. I was formed at the very beginning. I was formed before the world began.
24. Before there were any oceans, I was born. There weren't any springs of water at that time.
25. Before the mountains were settled in place, I was born. Before there were any hills, I was born.
26. It happened before the Lord made the earth and its fields. It was before he made the dust of the world.
27. I was there when he set the heavens in place. When he marked out the place where the sky meets the sea, I was there.
28. That was when he put the clouds above. It was when he fixed the ocean springs in place.