Proverbs 1
1 The parables of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel,
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2 in order to know wisdom and discipline,
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 to understand words of prudence, and to accept the instruction of doctrine, justice and judgment, and equity,
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 so as to give discernment to little ones, knowledge and understanding to adolescents.
To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 By listening, the wise shall become wiser and the intelligent shall possess governments.
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
6 He shall turn his soul to a parable and to its interpretation, to the words of the wise and their enigmas.
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; 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 beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother,
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother:
9 so that grace may be added to your head and a collar to your neck.
For they shall be an ornament of grace unto your head, and chains about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners should entice you, do not consent to them.
My son, if sinners entice you, consent you not.
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 lay wait for blood, let us lurk privately for the innocent without cause:
Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
13 We will discover every precious substance. We will fill our houses with spoils.
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Cast your lot with us. One purse will be for us all.”
Cast in your lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, do not walk with them. Preclude your feet from their paths.
My son, walk not you in the way with them; refrain your foot from their path:
16 For their feet rush to evil, and they hurry to shed blood.
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17 But a net is thrown in vain before the eyes of those who have wings.
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 Likewise, they lie in ambush against their own blood, and they undertake deceits against their own souls.
And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privately for their own lives.
19 Thus, the ways of all those who are greedy seize the souls of those who possess.
So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which takes away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom forewarns far and wide; she bestows her voice in the streets.
Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets:
21 She cries out at the head of crowds; at the entrance of the gates of the city, she offers her words, saying:
She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words, saying,
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, all of you simple ones, will all of you love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Be converted by my correction. Lo, I will offer my spirit to you, and I will reveal my words to you.
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 For I called, and you refused. I extended my hand, and there was no one who watched.
Because I have called, and all of you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 You have despised all my counsels, and you have neglected my rebukes.
But all of you have set at nothing all my counsel, and refused my reproof:
26 Similarly, I will ridicule you at your demise, and I will mock you, when that which you feared shall overcome you.
I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes;
27 When sudden calamity rushes upon you, and your demise advances like a tempest, when tribulation and anguish overcome you,
When your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish comes upon you.
28 then they will call to me, and I will not heed, they will arise in the morning, and not find me.
Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For they held hatred for discipline, and they would not accept the fear of the Lord;
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 they would not consent to my counsel, but they detracted from all of my corrections.
They refused my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their way, and they shall have their fill of their own counsels.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 The loathing of the little ones shall destroy them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall perish them.
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoever will listen to me shall rest without terror, and shall have full enjoyment of abundance, without fear of evils.”
But whoso hearkens unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
