Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.
THE PROVERBS of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2 They are for achieving wisdom and instruction, and to recognize sayings that bring insight.
To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the words of understanding;
3 They provide education in what makes sense, living right, judging correctly, and acting fairly.
To receive the discipline of wisdom, justice, and right, and equity;
4 They give discernment to the immature, knowledge and discretion to the young.
To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion;
5 Wise people will listen and gain in learning, and those who have good judgment will gain skills in guidance,
That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and the man of understanding may attain unto wise counsels;
6 understanding the proverbs and puzzles, the sayings and questions of the wise.
To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7 Honoring the Lord is where true knowledge begins, but fools treat wisdom and good advice with contempt.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and discipline.
8 My son, pay attention to your father's instruction, and don't reject your mother's teaching.
Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
9 They are a wreath of grace to decorate your head; they are pendants for your neck.
For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10 My son, if evil people try to tempt you, don't give into them.
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 They may tell you, “Come with us. Let's go and hide, ready to kill someone. Let's ambush someone for fun!
If they say: 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us lurk 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'll take from them all kinds of valuable things and fill our homes with the stuff we steal!
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 Come and join us and we'll all share what we get!”
Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse' —
15 My son, don't follow their ways. Don't go in that direction with them.
My son, walk not thou in the way with them, restrain thy foot from their path;
16 For they rush to do evil; they hurry to commit violence and murder.
For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 There's no point in trying to lure birds into a net when they can see it.
For in vain the net is spread in the eyes of any bird;
18 However, these evil people hide ready to kill others, but they themselves are the victims. They're only ambushing themselves!
And these lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk for their own lives.
19 This is what happens to you if you try to become rich through crime—it kills you!
So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; it taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom calls out in the streets; she shouts aloud in the squares.
Wisdom crieth aloud in the streets, she uttereth her voice in the broad places;
21 She cries out at busy corners; she explains her message at the town gates:
She calleth at the head of the noisy streets, at the entrances of the gates, in the city, she uttereth her words:
22 “How long will you stupid people love stupidity? How long will scornful people enjoy their mocking? How long will fools hate knowledge?
'How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness? And how long will scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Pay attention to my warnings, and I'll pour out my deepest thoughts to you—I'll explain what I know 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 have called you, but you refused to listen; I reached out my hand to you, but you didn't care.
Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man attended,
25 You ignored everything I said; you wouldn't accept any of my warnings.
But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof;
26 So I'll laugh at you when you're in trouble; I'll mock you when you're in a panic.
I also, in your calamity, will laugh, I will mock when your dread cometh;
27 When panic rains down on you like a storm, when trouble hits you like a whirlwind, when sorrow and pain come on you,
When your dread cometh as a storm, and your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; when trouble and distress come upon you.
28 then you'll call out to me for help, but I won't answer; you'll search hard for me, but won't find me.
Then will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me.
29 Why?—because they hated knowledge, and they didn't choose to respect the Lord.
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD;
30 They're not willing to accept my advice; they despise all my warnings.
They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof.
31 So they'll have to eat the fruit of their own choices, bloated by their own devious schemes.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 Stupid people are killed by their rebellion; foolish people are destroyed by their lack of concern.
For the waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them, and the confidence of fools shall destroy them.
33 But everyone who listens to me will be kept safe, and will live without worrying about problems.”
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.'
