Proverbs 1
1 The parables of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel,
The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
2 in order to know wisdom and discipline,
To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
3 to understand words of prudence, and to accept the instruction of doctrine, justice and judgment, and equity,
To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
4 so as to give discernment to little ones, knowledge and understanding to adolescents.
To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
5 By listening, the wise shall become wiser and the intelligent shall possess governments.
(The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided: )
6 He shall turn his soul to a parable and to its interpretation, to the words of the wise and their enigmas.
To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The foolish despise wisdom as well as doctrine.
The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
8 Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother,
My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
9 so that grace may be added to your head and a collar to your neck.
For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners should entice you, do not consent to them.
My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.
11 If they should say: “Come with us. We will lie in wait for blood. We will lay traps against the innocent, without cause.
If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;
Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death; (Sheol h7585)
13 We will discover every precious substance. We will fill our houses with spoils.
Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
14 Cast your lot with us. One purse will be for us all.”
Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
15 My son, do not walk with them. Preclude your feet from their paths.
My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
16 For their feet rush to evil, and they hurry to shed blood.
For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
17 But a net is thrown in vain before the eyes of those who have wings.
Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
18 Likewise, they lie in ambush against their own blood, and they undertake deceits against their own souls.
And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
19 Thus, the ways of all those who are greedy seize the souls of those who possess.
Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom forewarns far and wide; she bestows her voice in the streets.
Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
21 She cries out at the head of crowds; at the entrance of the gates of the city, she offers her words, saying:
Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
22 “Little ones, how long will you choose to be childish, and how long will the foolish desire what is harmful to themselves, and how long will the imprudent 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 Be converted by my correction. Lo, I will offer my spirit to you, and I will reveal my words 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 For I called, and you refused. I extended my hand, and there was no one who watched.
Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
25 You have despised all my counsels, and you have neglected my rebukes.
You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
26 Similarly, I will ridicule you at your demise, and I will mock you, when that which you feared shall overcome you.
So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
27 When sudden calamity rushes upon you, and your demise advances like a tempest, when tribulation and anguish overcome 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 to me, and I will not heed, they will arise in the morning, and not find me.
Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
29 For they held hatred for discipline, and they would not accept the fear of the Lord;
For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:
30 they would not consent to my counsel, but they detracted from all of my corrections.
They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
31 Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their way, and they shall have their fill of their own counsels.
So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
32 The loathing of the little ones shall destroy them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall perish 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 whoever will listen to me shall rest without terror, and shall have full enjoyment of abundance, without fear of evils.”
But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
