Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
3 To receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness and judgment and equity;
For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion:
For giving to simple ones — prudence, To a youth — knowledge and discretion.
5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; and that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:
(The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)
6 To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: [but] the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
Fear of Jehovah [is] a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,
9 For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
For a graceful wreath [are] they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;
If they say, 'Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for 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)
We swallow them as Sheol — alive, And whole — as those going down [to] the pit, (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
14 Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:
Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is — to all of us.'
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,
16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is the net spread, in the eyes of any bird:
Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
18 And these lay wait for their own blood, they lurk privily for their own lives.
And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; it taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.
20 Wisdom crieth aloud in the street; she uttereth her voice in the broad places;
Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse; at the entering in of the gates, in the city, she uttereth her words:
At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
'Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools 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.
Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.
26 I also will laugh in [the day of] your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,
27 When your fear cometh as a storm, and your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you.
When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.
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 call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.
30 They would none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof:
They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.
32 For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.
And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!'
