Proverbs 1
1 The Parables of Salomon the sonne of Dauid King of Israel,
The Proverbs of Solomon son of David, who reigned in Israel;
2 To knowe wisdome, and instruction, to vnderstand ye wordes of knowledge,
to know wisdom and instruction, and to perceive words of understanding;
3 To receiue instruction to do wisely, by iustice and iudgement and equitie,
to receive also hard saying, and to understand true justice, and [how] to direct judgment;
4 To giue vnto the simple, sharpenesse of wit, and to the childe knowledge and discretion.
that he might give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man discernment and understanding.
5 A wise man shall heare and increase in learning, and a man of vnderstanding shall attayne vnto wise counsels,
For by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser, and man of understanding will gain direction;
6 To vnderstand a parable, and the interpretation, the wordes of ye wise, and their darke sayings.
and will understand a parable, and a dark speech; the saying of the wise also, and riddles.
7 The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and [there is] good understanding to all that practise it: and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment; but the ungodly will set at nought wisdom and instruction.
8 My sonne, heare thy fathers instruction, and forsake not thy mothers teaching.
Hear, [my] son, the instruction of thy father, and reject not the rules of thy mother.
9 For they shalbe a comely ornament vnto thine head, and as chaines for thy necke.
For thou shalt receive for thine head a crown of graces, and a chain of gold round thy neck.
10 My sonne, if sinners doe intise thee, consent thou not.
[My] son, let not ungodly men lead thee astray, neither consent thou [to them].
11 If they say, Come with vs, we will lay waite for blood, and lie priuilie for the innocent without a cause:
If they should exhort thee, saying, Come with us, partake in blood, and let us unjustly hide the just man in the earth:
12 We wil swallow them vp aliue like a graue euen whole, as those that goe downe into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
and let us swallow him alive, as Hades [would], and remove the memorial of him from the earth: (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall finde all precious riches, and fill our houses with spoyle:
let us seize on his valuable property, and let us fill our houses with spoils:
14 Cast in thy lot among vs: we will all haue one purse:
but do thou cast in thy lot with us, and let us all provide a common purse, and let us have one pouch:
15 My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them: refraine thy foote from their path.
go not in the way with them, but turn aside thy foot from their paths:
16 For their feete runne to euill, and make haste to shed blood.
[For their feet run to do evil, and are swift to shed blood. ]
17 Certainely as without cause the net is spred before the eyes of all that hath wing:
for nets are not without cause spread for birds.
18 So they lay waite for blood and lie priuily for their liues.
For they that are concerned in murder store up evils for themselves; and the overthrow of transgressors is evil.
19 Such are the wayes of euery one that is greedy of gaine: he would take away the life of the owners thereof.
These are the ways of all that perform lawless deeds; for by ungodliness they destroy their own life.
20 Wisdome cryeth without: she vttereth her voyce in the streetes.
Wisdom sings aloud in passages, and in the broad places speaks boldly.
21 She calleth in the hye streete, among the prease in the entrings of the gates, and vttereth her wordes in the citie, saying,
And she makes proclamation on the top of the walls, and sits by the gates of princes; and at the gates of the city boldly says,
22 O ye foolish, howe long will ye loue foolishnes? and the scornefull take their pleasure in scorning, and the fooles hate knowledge?
So long as the simple cleave to justice, they shall not be ashamed: but the foolish being lovers of haughtiness, having become ungodly have hated knowledge, and are become subject to reproofs.
23 (Turne you at my correction: loe, I will powre out my mind vnto you, and make you vnderstand my wordes)
Behold, I will bring forth to you the utterance of my breath, and I will instruct you in my speech.
24 Because I haue called, and ye refused: I haue stretched out mine hand, and none woulde regarde.
Since I called, and ye did not hearken; and I spoke at length, and ye gave no heed;
25 But ye haue despised all my counsell, and would none of my correction.
but ye set at nought my counsels, and disregarded my reproofs;
26 I will also laugh at your destruction, and mocke, when your feare commeth.
therefore I also will laugh at your destruction; and I will rejoice against [you] when ruin comes upon you:
27 Whe your feare cometh like sudden desolation, and your destruction shall come like a whirle wind: whe affliction and anguish shall come vpon you,
yea when dismay suddenly comes upon you, and [your] overthrow shall arrive like a tempest; and when tribulation and distress shall come upon you, or when ruin shall come upon you.
28 Then shall they call vpon me, but I will not answere: they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me,
For it shall be that when ye call upon me, I will not hearken to you: wicked men shall seek me, but shall not find [me].
29 Because they hated knowledge, and did not chuse the feare of the Lord.
For they hated wisdom, and did not choose the word of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsell, but despised all my correction.
neither would they attend to my counsels, but derided my reproofs.
31 Therefore shall they eate of ye fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuises.
Therefore shall they eat the fruits of their own way, and shall be filled with their own ungodliness.
32 For ease slaieth the foolish, and the prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them.
For because they wronged the simple, they shall be slain; and an inquisition shall ruin the ungodly.
33 But he that obeyeth me, shall dwell safely, and be quiet from feare of euill.
But he that hearkens to me shall dwell in confidence, and shall rest securely from all evil.
