Proverbs 1
1 THE PROVERBS of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the words of understanding;
To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
3 To receive the discipline of wisdom, justice, and right, and equity;
To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
4 To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion;
To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and the man of understanding may attain unto wise counsels;
(The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided: )
6 To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and discipline.
The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
9 For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.
11 If they say: 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us lurk for the innocent without cause;
If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death; (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse' —
Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them, restrain thy foot from their path;
My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
17 For in vain the net is spread in the eyes of any bird;
Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
18 And these lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk for their own lives.
And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; it taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom crieth aloud in the streets, she uttereth her voice in the broad places;
Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
21 She calleth at the head of the noisy streets, at the entrances of the gates, in the city, she uttereth her words:
Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
22 'How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness? And how long will scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man attended,
Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof;
You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
26 I also, in your calamity, will laugh, I will mock when your dread cometh;
So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
27 When your dread cometh as a storm, and your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; when trouble and distress come upon you.
When your fear comes on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you.
28 Then will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me.
Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD;
For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof.
They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
32 For the waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them, and the confidence of fools shall destroy them.
For the turning back of the simple from teaching will be the cause of their death, and the peace of the foolish will be their destruction.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.'
But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
