Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel:
These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel,
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the sayings of understanding;
for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight,
3 To accept the instruction of intelligence, righteousness, and justice, and equity;
and for receiving instruction in wise living and in righteousness, justice, and equity.
4 To give to the simple prudence, to the youth knowledge and discretion.
To impart prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young,
5 The wise will hear, and will increase [his] information; and the man of understanding will obtain wise counsels:
let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel
6 To understand a proverb, and a sage sentence; the words of the wise, and their riddles.
by understanding the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: wisdom and instruction fools [alone] despise.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and cast not off the teaching of thy mother;
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
9 For a wreath of grace are they unto thy head, and chains for thy throat.
For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck.
10 My son, if sinners wish to entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.
11 If they should say, Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us watch in concealment for the uselessly innocent;
If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,
12 We will swallow them up like the grave alive; and the men of integrity, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit. (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all [kinds of] precious wealth, we will fill our houses with booty;
We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder.
14 Thy lot must thou cast in our midst; one purse shall be for us all:
Throw in your lot with us; let us all share one purse”—
15 My son, walk not thou on the way with them; withhold thy foot from their path;
my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path.
16 For their feet run after evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed blood.
17 For uselessly is the net spread out before the eyes of every winged bird:
How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it!
18 While they lie in wait for their [own] blood; they watch in concealment for their [own] lives.
But they lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives.
19 So are the paths of every one that is greedy after [unlawful] gain; it taketh away the life of those that own it.
Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.
20 Wisdom crieth loudly without; in the public places she uttereth her voice;
Wisdom calls out in the street, she lifts her voice in the square;
21 At the corner of noisy streets she calleth, at the entrances of gates; in the city she sayeth her speeches:
in the main concourse she cries aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech:
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners take their delight in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn back to my admonition: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you.
24 Whereas I called, and ye refused; I stretched out my hand, and no man was attentive;
Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand,
25 And ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would not accept my admonition:
because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction,
26 [Therefore] I also will truly laugh at your calamity; I will deride [you] when your terror cometh;
in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you,
27 When your terror cometh like the tempest-cloud, and your calamity hasteneth like a whirlwind; when there come upon you distress and affliction.
when your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish overwhelm you.
28 Then will they call me, but I will not answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me;
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.
29 For the reason that they hated knowledge, and the fear of the Lord they did not choose;
For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD.
30 [That] they would not attend to my counsel: [that] they rejected all my admonition.
They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and from their own counsels shall they be satisfied.
So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the defection of the simple will slay them, and the prosperity of fools will cause them to be lost.
For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But he that hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from the dread of evil.
But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety, secure from the fear of evil.”
