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 discern the words of understanding,
3 To accept the instruction of intelligence, righteousness, and justice, and equity;
to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness and justice and equity,
4 To give to the simple prudence, to the youth knowledge and discretion.
to give prudence 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:
that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsels,
6 To understand a proverb, and a sage sentence; the words of the wise, and their riddles.
to understand a proverb, and a figure, 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 Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge. The foolish 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 a garland of grace to 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 secretly 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 Sheol, and whole, as those who 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:
Thou shall cast thy lot among us. We will all have one bag.
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. Restrain 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 they make haste to shed blood.
17 For uselessly is the net spread out before the eyes of every winged bird:
For in vain is the net 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 these lay wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly 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 everyone who is greedy of gain. It takes away the life of the owners of it.
20 Wisdom crieth loudly without; in the public places she uttereth her voice;
Wisdom cries aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the broad places.
21 At the corner of noisy streets she calleth, at the entrances of gates; in the city she sayeth her speeches:
She cries in the chief place of concourse, at the entrance of the gates, in the city. She utters her words:
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 scoffers delight them in scoffing, 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 back at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you. I will make my words known to you.
24 Whereas I called, and ye refused; I stretched out my hand, and no man was attentive;
Because I have called, and ye have refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man has regarded,
25 And ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would not accept my admonition:
but ye have made all my counsel void, and want 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 comes,
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 comes as a storm, and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come 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 they will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me,
29 For the reason that they hated knowledge, and the fear of the Lord they did not choose;
because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah.
30 [That] they would not attend to my counsel: [that] they rejected all my admonition.
They wanted 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 they shall 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 backsliding of the simple shall kill them, and the careless ease 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 he who hearkens to me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.
