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,
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 For giving to simple ones — prudence, To a youth — knowledge and discretion.
To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 (The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain to wise counsels:
6 For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; 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: but 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.
For they shall be an ornament of grace to thy head, and chains about 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 lay wait for blood, let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause:
Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, 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 precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is — to all of us.'
Cast in thy lot among 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 in the way with them; keep 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.
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.
And they lay 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.
So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; who taketh away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,
Wisdom crieth outside; 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:
She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in 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?
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, 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 to you my words.
24 Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.
But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and rejected my reproof:
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 as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh 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, but I will not answer; they shall 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 hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
They rejected my counsel: they 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 with their own devices.
32 For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.
For the turning away of the simple shall slay 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 whoever hearkeneth to me shall dwell in safety, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
