Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;s4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.s5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.s
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.s8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.s
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.s18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:s21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.s33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Proverbs 1
Introduction to the Book
1 The Proverbst oft Solomons son of David,t king of Israel:t
2 Tot learnt wisdoms and moral instruction,t
and to discernt wise counsel.t
3 To receivet moral instructiont in skillful living,st
int righteousness,s justice,ts and equity.s
4 To impartt shrewdnesst to the morally naive,t
andt a discerningt plant to the young person.t
5 (Let the wise alsots heart and gaint instruction,
and let the discerningt acquiret guidance!t)
6 To discernt the meaning oft a proverb and a parable,t
the sayings of the wiset and theirt riddles.t
Introduction to the Theme of the Book
7 Fearing the Lordt is the beginningt of moral knowledge,t
butt foolst despiset wisdom and instruction.s
8 Listen,t my child,t to the instructiont fromt your father,
and do not forsake the teachingt fromt your mother.
9 For they will be liket an elegantt garlandt ont your head,
and liket pendantst aroundt your neck.
Admonition to Avoid Easy but Unjust Riches
10 My child, if sinnerst try to enticet you,
do not consent!s
11 If they say, “Come with us!
We willt lie in waitt to shed blood;t
we will ambusht an innocent persont capriciously.t
12 We will swallow them alivet like Sheol,t
those full of vigort like those going down to the Pit.
13 We will seizet all kindst of precious wealth;
we will fill our houses with plunder.t
14 Join with us!t
We will all sharet equally in what we steal.”t
15 My child, do not go downt their way,t
withhold yourselft from their path;s
16 for theyt are eagert to inflict harm,t
and they hastent to shed blood.s
17 Surely it is futile to spreadt a net
in plain sight ofts any bird,t
18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood,s
they ambush their own lives!t
19 Sucht are the wayss of all who gain profit unjustly;ts
itt takes away the lifet of those who obtain it!t
Warning Against Disregarding Wisdom
20 Wisdomt calls outs in the street,
she shouts loudlyt in the plazas;s
21 at the head of the noisys streets she calls,
in the entrances of the gates in the citys she utters her words:t
22 “How long will you simpletonst love naiveté?t
How longt will mockerss delightt in mockeryt
and foolss hate knowledge?
23 If onlyt you will respondt to my rebuke,s
thent I will pourt out my thoughtst to you
andt I will maket my words known to you.
24 However,t becauset I called but you refused to listen,t
becauset I stretched out my hands but no one paid attention,
25 becauset you neglectedt all my advice,
and did not complyt with my rebuke,
26 sot I myself will laughs when disaster strikes you,t
I will mock when what you dreadt comes,
27 when what you dreadt comes like a whirlwind,s
and disaster strikes yout like a devastating storm,t
when distressing troublet comes on you.
28 Then they will call to me, but I will not answer;
they will diligently seekt me, but they will not find me.
29 Becauset they hated moral knowledge,t
and did not choose to fear the Lord,t
30 they did not comply with my advice,
they spurnedt all my rebuke.
31 Thereforet they will eat from the fruits of their way,s
and they will be stuffed fullt of their own counsel.
32 For the waywardnesst of the
simpletons will kills them,
and the careless easet of fools will destroy them.
33 But the one who listenst to me will live in security,t
and will be at easet from the dread of harm.
