Proverbs 1
1 The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
These are the (proverbs/wise sayings) that come from Solomon, the King of Israel, who was the son of [King] David.
2 To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
(These proverbs [PRS] can teach people/By studying these proverbs, people can learn) how to be wise and how to obey what these proverbs teach them. They will [also] help people to understand which teachings are wise.
3 To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
These proverbs [PRS] will teach you how to discipline/control yourselves, how to conduct your lives, and how to do what is right and just [DOU].
4 To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
They will show [people] who do not [yet] know much how to do things that are smart. They will show young people how to become wise and how to make good plans/decisions.
5 (The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided: )
Those who are wise should also pay attention [to these proverbs], in order to become more wise, and those who understand [these teachings] will receive good advice/guidance.
6 To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
Then they will be able to understand the meaning of proverbs and parables/metaphors, these wise sayings and (riddles/sayings that are difficult to understand).
7 The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
If [you want to be] wise, you must begin by revering Yahweh. [Only] foolish people despise wisdom and good advice/discipline.
8 My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
My son, pay attention to what [I], your father, am teaching you. And do not reject what your mother teaches you.
9 For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
What we teach you [will make you respected like having] a lovely turban around your head and [like] a [beautiful] necklace to put around your neck.
10 My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.
My son, if sinners tempt/entice you [to do what is wrong], say “No” to them.
11 If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;
They may say, “Come with us! Join us! We will hide and then kill [MTY] someone [who passes by]. We will ambush some helpless/innocent people.
12 Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death; (Sheol h7585)
We will kill them [HYP] and get rid of them completely, [just] like [people who are buried in] graves are gone forever. While they are in good health, we will send them to the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
13 Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
And we will seize all the things that they own. We will fill our houses with these things!
14 Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
[So], come with us! Join our group! We will share with you the things that we steal.”
15 My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
My son, do not accompany them! Do not walk on the roads with them!
16 For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
They rush to do evil deeds! They hurry to murder [MTY] people.
17 Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
It is useless to put out a (trap/net to catch a bird) because when a bird sees it, [it stays away from it].
18 And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
But those wicked people are not like the birds, [because they do not realize] that when they prepare to ambush someone to kill him, they will be killed themselves!
19 Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
That is what happens to people who eagerly try to get things [by violently attacking others]. They will only destroy themselves!
20 Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
Wisdom [PRS] shouts to people in the streets, and calls out to people in the (plazas/town squares).
21 Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
Wisdom calls out in noisy places, and at the entrances to cities.
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?
[Wisdom says], “How long will you stupid people continue to enjoy doing foolish things [RHQ]? How long will you people who ridicule God enjoy doing that [RHQ]? How long will you foolish people refuse to know [what things are right] [RHQ]?
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.
If you pay attention to me when I rebuke you, I will tell you what I am thinking in my inner being; I will give you some good advice.
24 Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
But when I called to you, you refused to listen. I beckoned to you to come to me, but you ignored me.
25 You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
I tried to advise you, but you refused to listen to me. I tried to correct you, but you rejected what I told you.
26 So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
So [now], when you are experiencing troubles/disasters, I will laugh at you. When things happen that cause you to be afraid, I will make fun of you.
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 calamities strike you like a big storm, when disasters hit you like a violent wind, when [all kinds of things] distress you and give you trouble, [I will ridicule you!]
28 Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
[Wisdom also says], “When foolish people call to me [to help them], I will not answer them. They will search for me diligently/everywhere, but they will not find me.
29 For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:
They refused to know [what things are right], and they decided not to revere Yahweh.
30 They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
They would not accept my advice, and they did not pay attention when I tried to correct them.
31 So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
So they will endure what will result [MET, DOU] from the evil way they have lived/behaved and the evil things they have planned to do.
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.
Those who turn away from me are stupid/foolish; they will die because of doing that.
33 But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
But those who pay attention to me will live peacefully and safely, and they will not be afraid that something will harm them.”
