Proverbs 1
1 The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, King of Israel:
2 To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
For the knowledge of wisdom and correction, for discerning the sayings of intelligence;
3 To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
For receiving the correction of prudence, righteousness and justice, and equity;
4 To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
For giving To the simple shrewdness, 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: )
A wise man, will hear, and will increase learning, and a, discreet man, wise counsels, will acquire,
6 To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
By gaining discernment of proverb, and satire, 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 reverence of Yahweh, is the beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and correction, the foolish have despised.
8 My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
Hear, my son, the correction of thy father, and do not reject the instruction of thy mother;
9 For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
For, a wreath of beauty, shall they be to thy head, and chains of ornament, to 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, do not consent.
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 lie in wait for blood, Let us watch in secret for him who is needlessly innocent;
12 Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death; (Sheol h7585)
Let us engulf them, like hades, alive, While in health, like them who are going down to the pit; (Sheol h7585)
13 Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
All costly substance, shall we find, We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
Thy lot, shalt thou cast into our midst, One purse, shall there be, for us all.
15 My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
My son, do not walk in the way with them, Withhold 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, to mischief, do run, and haste to the shedding of blood.
17 Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
Surely, in vain, is spread the net, in the sight of aught that hath wings!
18 And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
Yet, they, for their own blood, lie in wait, They watch in secret for their own life.
19 Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
Such are the ways of every one that graspeth with greed, The life of the owners thereof, it taketh away!
20 Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
Wisdom, in the open place, soundeth forth, in the broadways, she raiseth her voice;
21 Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
At the head of bustling streets, she crieth aloud, —at the openings of the gates in the city—her sayings, she doth utter: —
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, in scoffing, delight them? and, dullards, 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.
Will ye turn, at my reproof? Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, I will make known my words to you.
24 Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
Because I called, and ye refused, I stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;
25 You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
But ye dismissed all my counsel, and, to my rebuke, would not yield,
26 So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
I also, at your calamity, will laugh, I will mock, when cometh your dread;
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 cometh as a crashing your dread, and, your calamity, as a storm-wind, overtaketh, when there come upon you, distress and anguish.
28 Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
Then, will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me diligently, but 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, the reverence of Yahweh, did not choose;
30 They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
Consented not to my counsel, disdained all my rebuke,
31 So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and, with their own counsels, be filled.
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 turning away of the simple, will slay them, —and, the carelessness of dullards, will destroy them.
33 But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
Whereas, he that hearkeneth unto me, shall dwell safely, and be at rest, without dread of misfortune.
