< Proverbs 1 >

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel:
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the sayings of understanding;
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 To accept the instruction of intelligence, righteousness, and justice, and equity;
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 To give to the simple prudence, to the youth knowledge and discretion.
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 The wise will hear, and will increase [his] information; and the man of understanding will obtain wise counsels:
A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
6 To understand a proverb, and a sage sentence; the words of the wise, and their riddles.
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
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 instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and cast not off the teaching of thy mother;
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
9 For a wreath of grace are they unto thy head, and chains for thy throat.
For they [shall be] an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners wish to entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
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 with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for 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 up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all [kinds of] precious wealth, we will fill our houses with booty;
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Thy lot must thou cast in our midst; one purse shall be for us all:
Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou on the way with them; withhold thy foot from their path;
My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16 For their feet run after evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17 For uselessly is the net spread out before the eyes of every winged bird:
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 While they lie in wait for their [own] blood; they watch in concealment for their [own] lives.
And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk privily for 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.
So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; [which] taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom crieth loudly without; in the public places she uttereth her voice;
Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21 At the corner of noisy streets she calleth, at the entrances of gates; in the city she sayeth her speeches:
She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying],
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners take their delight in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, 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.
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 Whereas I called, and ye refused; I stretched out my hand, and no man was attentive;
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 And ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would not accept my admonition:
But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 [Therefore] I also will truly laugh at your calamity; I will deride [you] when your terror cometh;
I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
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 fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then will they call me, but I will not answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me;
Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For the reason that they hated knowledge, and the fear of the Lord they did not choose;
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 [That] they would not attend to my counsel: [that] they rejected all my admonition.
They would 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.
Therefore shall they eat of 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 turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 But he that hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from the dread of evil.
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

< Proverbs 1 >