Proverbs 1
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
The parables of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
2 For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
To know wisdom, and instruction:
3 For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
To understand the words of prudence: and to receive the instruction of doctrine, justice, and judgment, and equity:
4 For giving to simple ones — prudence, To a youth — knowledge and discretion.
To give subtilty to little ones, to the young man knowledge and understanding.
5 (The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)
A wise man shall hear and shall be wiser: and he that understandeth, shall possess governments.
6 For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
He shall understand a parable, and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their mysterious 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 wisdom. Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
9 For a graceful wreath [are] they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.
That grace may be added to thy head, and a chain of gold to thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.
My son, if sinners shall entice thee, consent not to them.
11 If they say, 'Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,
If they shall say: Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us hide snares for the innocent without cause:
Let us swallow him up alive like hell, and whole as one that goeth down into the pit. (Sheol h7585)
13 Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoils.
14 Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is — to all of us.'
Cast in thy lot with us, let us all have one purse.
15 My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,
My son, walk not thou with them, restrain thy foot from their paths.
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.
But a net is spread in vain before the eyes of them that have wings.
18 And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.
And they themselves lie in wait for their own blood, and practise deceits against their own souls.
19 So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.
So the wage of every covetous man destroy the souls of the possessors.
20 Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,
Wisdom preacheth abroad, she uttereth her voice in the streets:
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 multitudes she crieth out, in the entrance of the gates of the city she uttereth her words, saying:
22 'Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools hate knowledge?
O children, how long will you love childishness, and fools covet those things which are hurtful to themselves, and the unwise 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 utter my spirit to you, and will shew you my words.
24 Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
Because I called, and you refused: I stretched out my hand, and there was none that regarded.
25 And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.
You have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions.
26 I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,
I also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock when that shall come to you which you feared.
27 When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.
When sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruction, as a tempest, shall be at hand: when tribulation and distress shall come upon you:
28 Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.
Then shall they call upon me, and I will not hear: they shall rise in the morning and shall not find me:
29 Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.
Because they have hated instruction and received not the fear of the Lord,
30 They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
Nor consented to my counsel, but despised all my reproof.
31 And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and shall be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.
The turning away of little ones shall kill them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!'
But he that shall hear me, shall rest without terror, and shall enjoy abundance, without fear of evils.
