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