Proverbs 1
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
The parables of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel,
2 to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
in order to know wisdom and discipline,
3 to receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness and judgment, and equity;
to understand words of prudence, and to accept the instruction of doctrine, justice and judgment, and equity,
4 to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
so as to give discernment to little ones, knowledge and understanding to adolescents.
5 He that is wise will hear, and will increase learning; and the intelligent will gain wise counsels:
By listening, the wise shall become wiser and the intelligent shall possess governments.
6 to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas.
He shall turn his soul to a parable and to its interpretation, to the words of the wise and their enigmas.
7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The foolish despise wisdom as well as doctrine.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother,
9 for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
so that grace may be added to your head and a collar to your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not.
My son, if sinners should entice you, do not consent to them.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
If they should say: “Come with us. We will lie in wait for blood. We will lay traps against the innocent, without cause.
12 let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
Let us swallow him alive, like Hell, and whole, like one descending into the pit. (Sheol h7585)
13 we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
We will discover every precious substance. We will fill our houses with spoils.
14 cast in thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:
Cast your lot with us. One purse will be for us all.”
15 — my son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path;
My son, do not walk with them. Preclude your feet from their paths.
16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feet rush to evil, and they hurry to shed blood.
17 For in vain the net is spread in the sight of anything which hath wings.
But a net is thrown in vain before the eyes of those who have wings.
18 And these lay wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives.
Likewise, they lie in ambush against their own blood, and they undertake deceits against their own souls.
19 So are the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its possessors.
Thus, the ways of all those who are greedy seize the souls of those who possess.
20 Wisdom crieth without; she raiseth her voice in the broadways;
Wisdom forewarns far and wide; she bestows her voice in the streets.
21 she calleth in the chief [place] of concourse, in the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words:
She cries out at the head of crowds; at the entrance of the gates of the city, she offers her words, saying:
22 How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge?
“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?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known to you my words.
Be converted by my correction. Lo, I will offer my spirit to you, and I will reveal my words to you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;
For I called, and you refused. I extended my hand, and there was no one who watched.
25 and ye have rejected all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
You have despised all my counsels, and you have neglected my rebukes.
26 I also will laugh in your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;
Similarly, I will ridicule you at your demise, and I will mock you, when that which you feared shall overcome you.
27 when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you:
When sudden calamity rushes upon you, and your demise advances like a tempest, when tribulation and anguish overcome you,
28 — then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, and shall not find me.
then they will call to me, and I will not heed, they will arise in the morning, and not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah;
For they held hatred for discipline, and they would not accept the fear of the Lord;
30 they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof:
they would not consent to my counsel, but they detracted from all of my corrections.
31 therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way, and be filled with their own devices.
Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their way, and they shall have their fill of their own counsels.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall cause them to perish.
The loathing of the little ones shall destroy them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall perish them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from fear of evil.
But whoever will listen to me shall rest without terror, and shall have full enjoyment of abundance, without fear of evils.”
