Proverbs 1
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, King of Israel:
2 For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
For the knowledge of wisdom and correction, for discerning the sayings of intelligence;
3 For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
For receiving the correction of prudence, righteousness and justice, and equity;
4 For giving to simple ones—prudence, To a youth—knowledge and discretion.
For giving To the simple shrewdness, 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, discreet man, wise counsels, will acquire,
6 For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
By gaining discernment of proverb, and satire, 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 reverence of Yahweh, is the beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and correction, the foolish have despised.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother,
Hear, my son, the correction of thy father, and do not reject the instruction of thy mother;
9 For they [are] a graceful wreath to your head, And chains to your neck.
For, a wreath of beauty, shall they be to thy head, and chains of ornament, to thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not be willing.
My son, if sinners entice thee, do not consent.
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 lie in wait for blood, Let us watch in secret for him who is needlessly innocent;
Let us engulf them, like hades, alive, While in health, like them who are going down to the pit; (Sheol h7585)
13 We find every precious substance, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
All costly substance, shall we find, We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 You cast your lot among us, One purse is—to all of us.”
Thy lot, shalt thou cast into our midst, One purse, shall there be, for us all.
15 My son! Do not go in the way with them, Withhold your foot from their path,
My son, do not walk in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path.
16 For their feet run to evil, And they hurry to shed blood.
For, their feet, to mischief, do run, and haste to the shedding of blood.
17 Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
Surely, in vain, is spread the net, in the sight of aught that hath wings!
18 And they lay wait for their own blood, They watch secretly for their own lives.
Yet, they, for their own blood, lie in wait, They watch in secret for their own life.
19 So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, It takes the life of its owners.
Such are the ways of every one that graspeth with greed, The life of the owners thereof, it taketh away!
20 Wisdom cries aloud in an out-place, She gives forth her voice in broad places,
Wisdom, in the open place, soundeth forth, in the broadways, she raiseth her voice;
21 She calls at the head of the multitudes, In the openings of the gates, In the city she says her sayings:
At the head of bustling streets, she crieth aloud, —at the openings of the gates in the city—her sayings, she doth utter: —
22 “Until when, you simple, do you love simplicity? And have scorners desired their scorning? And do fools hate knowledge?
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and, scoffers, in scoffing, delight them? and, dullards, hate knowledge?
23 Turn back at my reproof, behold, I pour forth my spirit to you, I make known my words with you.
Will ye turn, at my reproof? Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, 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 called, and ye refused, I stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;
25 And you slight all my counsel, And you have not desired my reproof.
But ye dismissed all my counsel, and, to my rebuke, would not yield,
26 I also laugh in your calamity, I deride when your fear comes,
I also, at your calamity, will laugh, I will mock, when cometh your dread;
27 When your fear comes as destruction, And your calamity comes as a windstorm, When adversity and distress come on you.
When cometh as a crashing your dread, and, your calamity, as a storm-wind, overtaketh, when there come upon you, distress and anguish.
28 Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and do not find me.
Then, will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me diligently, but shall not find me.
29 Because that they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of YHWH.
Because they hated knowledge, and, the reverence of Yahweh, did not choose;
30 They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
Consented not to my counsel, disdained all my rebuke,
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, with their own counsels, be filled.
32 For the turning of the simple slays them, And the security of the foolish destroys them.
For, the turning away of the simple, will slay them, —and, the carelessness of dullards, will destroy them.
33 And whoever is listening to me dwells confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!”
Whereas, he that hearkeneth unto me, shall dwell safely, and be at rest, without dread of misfortune.
