Proverbs 1
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
2 For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
That one may learn wisdom and instruction, And receive words of understanding;
3 For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
That one may gain the instruction of prudence, Justice, equity, and uprightness;
4 For giving to simple ones — prudence, To a youth — knowledge and discretion.
Which will give caution to the simple, To the young man wisdom and discretion;
5 (The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)
Let the wise man hear, and he will increase his knowledge, And the man of understanding will gain wise counsels;
6 For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
So as to understand a proverb and a deep maxim, The words of the wise and their dark sayings.
7 Fear of Jehovah [is] a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,
Hear, O my son! the instruction of thy father, And neglect not the teaching of thy mother!
9 For a graceful wreath [are] they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.
For they shall be a graceful wreath for thy head, And a chain around thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.
My son, if sinners entice 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 us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us lurk secretly for him who is innocent in vain;
Let us swallow them up alive, like the underworld, Yea, in full health, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
13 Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
We shall find all kinds of precious substance, We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is — to all of us.'
Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse;”—
15 My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,
My son, walk thou not in their way, Refrain thy foot from their path!
16 For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.
For their feet run to evil, And make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
For as the net is spread in vain Before the eyes of any bird,
18 And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.
So they lie in wait for their own blood; They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.
Such are the ways of every one greedy of unjust gain; It taketh away the life of the possessor thereof.
20 Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,
Wisdom crieth out in the highway; In the market-place she uttereth her voice;
21 At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:
At the head of the noisy streets she crieth aloud; At the entrances of the gates, throughout the city, she proclaimeth her words [[saying]]:
22 'Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools hate knowledge?
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? How long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.
Turn ye at my reproof! Behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make known my words to you!
24 Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
“Because I have called, and ye have refused, —Because I have stretched out my hand, and no one hath regarded.
25 And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.
Because ye have rejected all my counsel, And have slighted my rebuke, —
26 I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,
I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.
When your fear cometh upon you like a storm. And destruction overtaketh you like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.
Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer! They will seek me early, But they shall not find me!
29 Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.
Because they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of the LORD, —
30 They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
Because they would not attend to my counsel, And have despised all my reproof, —
31 And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own devices;
32 For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.
Yea, the turning away of the simple shall slay them, And the carelessness of fools shall destroy them.
33 And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!'
But whoso hearkeneth to me shall dwell securely, And shall not be disquieted with the fear of evil.”
