Proverbs 1
1 THE PROVERBS of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the words of understanding;
To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the sayings of understanding;
3 To receive the discipline of wisdom, justice, and right, and equity;
To accept the instruction of intelligence, righteousness, and justice, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion;
To give to the simple prudence, to the youth knowledge and discretion.
5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and the man of understanding may attain unto wise counsels;
The wise will hear, and will increase [his] information; and the man of understanding will obtain wise counsels:
6 To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
To understand a proverb, and a sage sentence; the words of the wise, and their riddles.
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 beginning of knowledge: wisdom and instruction fools [alone] despise.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and cast not off the teaching of thy mother;
9 For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
For a wreath of grace are they unto thy head, and chains for thy throat.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners wish to entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say: 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us lurk for the innocent without cause;
If they should say, Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us watch in concealment for the uselessly innocent;
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
We will swallow them up like the grave alive; and the men of integrity, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
We shall find all [kinds of] precious wealth, we will fill our houses with booty;
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse' —
Thy lot must thou cast in our midst; one purse shall be for us all:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them, restrain thy foot from their path;
My son, walk not thou on the way with them; withhold thy foot from their path;
16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feet run after evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain the net is spread in the eyes of any bird;
For uselessly is the net spread out before the eyes of every winged bird:
18 And these lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk for their own lives.
While they lie in wait for their [own] blood; they watch in concealment for their [own] lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; it taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
So are the paths of every one that is greedy after [unlawful] gain; it taketh away the life of those that own it.
20 Wisdom crieth aloud in the streets, she uttereth her voice in the broad places;
Wisdom crieth loudly without; in the public places she uttereth her voice;
21 She calleth at the head of the noisy streets, at the entrances of the gates, in the city, she uttereth her words:
At the corner of noisy streets she calleth, at the entrances of gates; in the city she sayeth her speeches:
22 'How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness? And how long will scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners take their delight in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
Turn back to my admonition: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man attended,
Whereas I called, and ye refused; I stretched out my hand, and no man was attentive;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof;
And ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would not accept my admonition:
26 I also, in your calamity, will laugh, I will mock when your dread cometh;
[Therefore] I also will truly laugh at your calamity; I will deride [you] when your terror cometh;
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 terror cometh like the tempest-cloud, and your calamity hasteneth like a whirlwind; when there come upon you distress and affliction.
28 Then will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me.
Then will they call me, but I will not answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me;
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD;
For the reason that they hated knowledge, and the fear of the Lord they did not choose;
30 They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof.
[That] they would not attend to my counsel: [that] they rejected all my admonition.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and from their own counsels shall they be satisfied.
32 For the waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them, and the confidence of fools shall destroy them.
For the defection of the simple will slay them, and the prosperity of fools will cause them to be lost.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.'
But he that hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from the dread of evil.
