Proverbs 1

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¹The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.

²To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:

³To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:

⁴To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:

⁵(The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided:)

⁶To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.

⁷The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.

⁸My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:

⁹For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.

¹¹If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;

¹²Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death;

¹³Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;

¹⁴Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:

¹⁵My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:

¹⁶For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.

¹⁷Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:

¹⁸And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.

¹⁹Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.

²⁰Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;

²¹Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:

²²How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?

²³Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.

²⁴Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;

²⁵You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:

²⁶So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;

²⁷When your fear comes on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you.

²⁸Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:

²⁹For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:

³⁰They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.

³¹So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.

³²For the turning back of the simple from teaching will be the cause of their death, and the peace of the foolish will be their destruction.

³³But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.

Proverbs 1

¹The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:

²to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;

³to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

⁴to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man:

⁵that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel:

⁶to understand a proverb, and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.

⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸My son, listen to your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching:

⁹for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

¹¹If they say, "Come with us, Let's lie in wait for blood; let's lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

¹²let's swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.

¹³We'll find all valuable wealth. We'll fill our houses with spoil.

¹⁴You shall cast your lot among us. We'll all have one purse."

¹⁵My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path,

¹⁶for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.

¹⁷For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird:

¹⁸but these lie in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.

²⁰Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.

²¹She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:

²²"How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?

²³Turn at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make known my words to you.

²⁴Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;

²⁵but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;

²⁶I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you;

²⁷when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come on you.

²⁸Then will they call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me;

²⁹because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

³⁰They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.

³¹Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.

³²For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.

³³But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm."