Proverbs 1
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
The Parables of Salomon the sonne of Dauid King of Israel,
2 For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
To knowe wisdome, and instruction, to vnderstand ye wordes of knowledge,
3 For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
To receiue instruction to do wisely, by iustice and iudgement and equitie,
4 For giving to simple ones—prudence, To a youth—knowledge and discretion.
To giue vnto the simple, sharpenesse of wit, and to the childe knowledge and discretion.
5 (The wise hear and increase learning, And the intelligent obtain counsels.)
A wise man shall heare and increase in learning, and a man of vnderstanding shall attayne vnto wise counsels,
6 For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
To vnderstand a parable, and the interpretation, the wordes of ye wise, and their darke sayings.
7 Fear of YHWH [is the] beginning of knowledge, Fools have despised wisdom and instruction!
The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother,
My sonne, heare thy fathers instruction, and forsake not thy mothers teaching.
9 For they [are] a graceful wreath to your head, And chains to your neck.
For they shalbe a comely ornament vnto thine head, and as chaines for thy necke.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not be willing.
My sonne, if sinners doe intise thee, consent thou 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 vs, we will lay waite for blood, and lie priuilie for the innocent without a cause:
We wil swallow them vp aliue like a graue euen whole, as those that goe downe into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
13 We find every precious substance, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
We shall finde all precious riches, and fill our houses with spoyle:
14 You cast your lot among us, One purse is—to all of us.”
Cast in thy lot among vs: we will all haue one purse:
15 My son! Do not go in the way with them, Withhold your foot from their path,
My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them: refraine thy foote from their path.
16 For their feet run to evil, And they hurry to shed blood.
For their feete runne to euill, and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
Certainely as without cause the net is spred before the eyes of all that hath wing:
18 And they lay wait for their own blood, They watch secretly for their own lives.
So they lay waite for blood and lie priuily for their liues.
19 So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, It takes the life of its owners.
Such are the wayes of euery one that is greedy of gaine: he would take away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in an out-place, She gives forth her voice in broad places,
Wisdome cryeth without: she vttereth her voyce in the streetes.
21 She calls at the head of the multitudes, In the openings of the gates, In the city she says her sayings:
She calleth in the hye streete, among the prease in the entrings of the gates, and vttereth her wordes in the citie, saying,
22 “Until when, you simple, do you love simplicity? And have scorners desired their scorning? And do fools hate knowledge?
O ye foolish, howe long will ye loue foolishnes? and the scornefull take their pleasure in scorning, and the fooles hate knowledge?
23 Turn back at my reproof, behold, I pour forth my spirit to you, I make known my words with you.
(Turne you at my correction: loe, I will powre out my mind vnto you, and make you vnderstand my wordes)
24 Because I have called, and you refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
Because I haue called, and ye refused: I haue stretched out mine hand, and none woulde regarde.
25 And you slight all my counsel, And you have not desired my reproof.
But ye haue despised all my counsell, and would none of my correction.
26 I also laugh in your calamity, I deride when your fear comes,
I will also laugh at your destruction, and mocke, when your feare commeth.
27 When your fear comes as destruction, And your calamity comes as a windstorm, When adversity and distress come on you.
Whe your feare cometh like sudden desolation, and your destruction shall come like a whirle wind: whe affliction and anguish shall come vpon you,
28 Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and do not find me.
Then shall they call vpon me, but I will not answere: they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me,
29 Because that they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of YHWH.
Because they hated knowledge, and did not chuse the feare of the Lord.
30 They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
They would none of my counsell, but despised all my correction.
31 And they eat of the fruit of their way, And they are filled from their own counsels.
Therefore shall they eate of ye fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuises.
32 For the turning of the simple slays them, And the security of the foolish destroys them.
For ease slaieth the foolish, and the prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them.
33 And whoever is listening to me dwells confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!”
But he that obeyeth me, shall dwell safely, and be quiet from feare of euill.
