Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel,
The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
2 to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the words of understanding,
To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness and justice and equity,
To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
4 to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion,
To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
5 that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsels,
(The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided: )
6 to understand a proverb, and a figure, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge. The foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
9 For they shall be a garland of grace to thy head, and chains about thy neck.
For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.
11 If they say, Come with us. Let us lay wait for blood. Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause.
If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;
12 Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those who go down into the pit. (Sheol h7585)
Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death; (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all precious substance. We shall fill our houses with spoil.
Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
14 Thou shall cast thy lot among us. We will all have one bag.
Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them. Restrain thy foot from their path.
My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
17 For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird,
Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
18 and these lay wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.
And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy of gain. It takes away the life of the owners of it.
Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the broad places.
Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
21 She cries in the chief place of concourse, at the entrance of the gates, in the city. She utters her words:
Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And scoffers delight them in scoffing, and fools hate knowledge?
How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?
23 Turn back at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you. I will make my words known to you.
Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.
24 Because I have called, and ye have refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man has regarded,
Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
25 but ye have made all my counsel void, and want none of my reproof,
You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear comes,
So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
27 when your fear comes as a storm, and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
When your fear comes on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me,
Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
29 because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah.
For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:
30 They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
31 Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
32 For the backsliding of the simple shall kill them, and the careless ease of fools shall destroy them.
For the turning back of the simple from teaching will be the cause of their death, and the peace of the foolish will be their destruction.
33 But he who hearkens to me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.
But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
