Proverbs 1
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2 For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 For giving to simple ones—prudence, To a youth—knowledge and discretion.
To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 (The wise hear and increase learning, And the intelligent obtain counsels.)
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain to wise counsels:
6 For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7 Fear of YHWH [is the] beginning of knowledge, Fools have despised wisdom and instruction!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother,
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother:
9 For they [are] a graceful wreath to your head, And chains to your neck.
For they shall be an ornament of grace to your head, and chains about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not be willing.
My son, if sinners entice you, consent you not.
11 If they say, “Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privately for the innocent without cause:
Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
13 We find every precious substance, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 You cast your lot among us, One purse is—to all of us.”
Cast in your lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son! Do not go in the way with them, Withhold your foot from their path,
My son, walk not you in the way with them; refrain your foot from their path:
16 For their feet run to evil, And they hurry to shed blood.
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 And they lay wait for their own blood, They watch secretly for their own lives.
And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privately for their own lives.
19 So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, It takes the life of its owners.
So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which takes away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in an out-place, She gives forth her voice in broad places,
Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets:
21 She calls at the head of the multitudes, In the openings of the gates, In the city she says her sayings:
She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words, saying,
22 “Until when, you simple, do you love simplicity? And have scorners desired their scorning? And do fools hate knowledge?
How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn back at my reproof, behold, I pour forth my spirit to you, I make known my words with you.
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make known my words to you.
24 Because I have called, and you refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
Because I have called, and you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 And you slight all my counsel, And you have not desired my reproof.
But you have set at nothing all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also laugh in your calamity, I deride when your fear comes,
I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes;
27 When your fear comes as destruction, And your calamity comes as a windstorm, When adversity and distress come on you.
When your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish comes on you.
28 Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and do not find me.
Then shall they call on me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 Because that they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of YHWH.
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 And they eat of the fruit of their way, And they are filled from their own counsels.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning of the simple slays them, And the security of the foolish destroys them.
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 And whoever is listening to me dwells confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!”
But whoever listens to me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
