Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
For giving to simple ones—prudence, To a youth—knowledge and discretion.
5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
(The wise hear and increase learning, And the intelligent obtain counsels.)
6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
7 The fear of YHWH is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Fear of YHWH [is the] beginning of knowledge, Fools have despised wisdom and instruction!
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother,
9 For they shall be an ornament of favour unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
For they [are] a graceful wreath to your head, And chains to your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners entice you, do not be willing.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
If they say, “Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
We swallow them as Sheol—alive, And whole—as those going down [to] the pit, (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
We find every precious substance, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
You cast your lot among us, One purse is—to all of us.”
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
My son! Do not go in the way with them, Withhold your foot from their path,
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
For their feet run to evil, And they hurry to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
And they lay wait for their own blood, They watch secretly for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, It takes the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
Wisdom cries aloud in an out-place, She gives forth her voice in broad places,
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
She calls at the head of the multitudes, In the openings of the gates, In the city she says her sayings:
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
“Until when, you simple, do you love simplicity? And have scorners desired their scorning? And do 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 at my reproof, behold, I pour forth my spirit to you, I make known my words with you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Because I have called, and you refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
And you slight all my counsel, And you have not desired my reproof.
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
I also laugh in your calamity, I deride when your fear comes,
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
When your fear comes as destruction, And your calamity comes as a windstorm, When adversity and distress come on you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and do not find me.
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of YHWH:
Because that they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of YHWH.
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
And they eat of the fruit of their way, And they are filled from their own counsels.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
For the turning of the simple slays them, And the security of the foolish destroys them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
And whoever is listening to me dwells confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!”
