Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
The parables of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel,
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
in order to know wisdom and discipline,
3 To receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness and judgment and equity;
to understand words of prudence, and to accept the instruction of doctrine, justice and judgment, and equity,
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion:
so as to give discernment to little ones, knowledge and understanding to adolescents.
5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; and that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:
By listening, the wise shall become wiser and the intelligent shall possess governments.
6 To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
He shall turn his soul to a parable and to its interpretation, to the words of the wise and their enigmas.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: [but] the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The foolish despise wisdom as well as doctrine.
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother,
9 For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
so that grace may be added to your head and a collar to your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners should entice you, do not consent to them.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;
If they should say: “Come with us. We will lie in wait for blood. We will lay traps against the innocent, without cause.
12 Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
Let us swallow him alive, like Hell, and whole, like one descending into the pit. (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
We will discover every precious substance. We will fill our houses with spoils.
14 Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:
Cast your lot with us. One purse will be for us all.”
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
My son, do not walk with them. Preclude your feet from their paths.
16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feet rush to evil, and they hurry to shed blood.
17 For in vain is the net spread, in the eyes of any bird:
But a net is thrown in vain before the eyes of those who have wings.
18 And these lay wait for their own blood, they lurk privily for their own lives.
Likewise, they lie in ambush against their own blood, and they undertake deceits against their own souls.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; it taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
Thus, the ways of all those who are greedy seize the souls of those who possess.
20 Wisdom crieth aloud in the street; she uttereth her voice in the broad places;
Wisdom forewarns far and wide; she bestows her voice in the streets.
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse; at the entering in of the gates, in the city, she uttereth her words:
She cries out at the head of crowds; at the entrance of the gates of the city, she offers her words, saying:
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
“Little ones, how long will you choose to be childish, and how long will the foolish desire what is harmful to themselves, and how long will the imprudent hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
Be converted by my correction. Lo, I will offer my spirit to you, and I will reveal my words to you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
For I called, and you refused. I extended my hand, and there was no one who watched.
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
You have despised all my counsels, and you have neglected my rebukes.
26 I also will laugh in [the day of] your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
Similarly, I will ridicule you at your demise, and I will mock you, when that which you feared shall overcome you.
27 When your fear cometh as a storm, and your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you.
When sudden calamity rushes upon you, and your demise advances like a tempest, when tribulation and anguish overcome you,
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:
then they will call to me, and I will not heed, they will arise in the morning, and not find me.
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
For they held hatred for discipline, and they would not accept the fear of the Lord;
30 They would none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof:
they would not consent to my counsel, but they detracted from all of my corrections.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their way, and they shall have their fill of their own counsels.
32 For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
The loathing of the little ones shall destroy them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall perish them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.
But whoever will listen to me shall rest without terror, and shall have full enjoyment of abundance, without fear of evils.”
