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 perceive the words of understanding;
3 They provide education in what makes sense, living right, judging correctly, and acting fairly.
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 They give discernment to the immature, knowledge and discretion to the young.
To give subtlety 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,
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
6 understanding the proverbs and puzzles, the sayings and questions of the wise.
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; 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 fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 My son, pay attention to your father's instruction, and don't reject your mother's teaching.
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother:
9 They are a wreath of grace to decorate your head; they are pendants for your neck.
For they shall be an ornament of grace unto your head, and chains about your neck.
10 My son, if evil people try to tempt you, don't give into them.
My son, if sinners entice you, consent you 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 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'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 your 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 you in the way with them; refrain your 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 make haste to shed blood.
17 There's no point in trying to lure birds into a net when they can see it.
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight 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 they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privately 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; which takes away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom calls out in the streets; she shouts aloud in the squares.
Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets:
21 She cries out at busy corners; she explains her message at the town gates:
She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words, saying,
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, all of you simple ones, will all of you love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their 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 all of you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 You ignored everything I said; you wouldn't accept any of my warnings.
But all of you have set at nothing all my counsel, and refused 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 will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes;
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 fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish comes 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 shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, 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 refused 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 turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity 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 hearkens unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
