Proverbs 1
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
2 For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
3 For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
4 For giving to simple ones—prudence, To a youth—knowledge and discretion.
To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
5 (The wise hear and increase learning, And the intelligent obtain counsels.)
(The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided: )
6 For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of 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 start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother,
My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
9 For they [are] a graceful wreath to your head, And chains to your neck.
For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not be willing.
My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.
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 make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;
Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death; (Sheol h7585)
13 We find every precious substance, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
14 You cast your lot among us, One purse is—to all of us.”
Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
15 My son! Do not go in the way with them, Withhold your foot from their path,
My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
16 For their feet run to evil, And they hurry to shed blood.
For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
17 Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
18 And they lay wait for their own blood, They watch secretly for their own lives.
And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
19 So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, It takes the life of its owners.
Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in an out-place, She gives forth her voice in broad places,
Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
21 She calls at the head of the multitudes, In the openings of the gates, In the city she says her sayings:
Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
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 foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?
23 Turn back at my reproof, behold, I pour forth my spirit to you, I make known my words with you.
Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.
24 Because I have called, and you refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
25 And you slight all my counsel, And you have not desired my reproof.
You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
26 I also laugh in your calamity, I deride when your fear comes,
So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
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 on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you.
28 Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and do not find me.
Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
29 Because that they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of YHWH.
For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:
30 They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
31 And they eat of the fruit of their way, And they are filled from their own counsels.
So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
32 For the turning of the simple slays them, And the security of the foolish destroys them.
For the turning back of the simple from teaching will be the cause of their death, and the peace of the foolish will be their destruction.
33 And whoever is listening to me dwells confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!”
But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
