Proverbs 1

The Usefulness of Proverbs

1The 1proverbs of Solomon 2the son of David, king of Israel:2To know 3wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of 4understanding,3To 5receive instruction in wise behavior, 6Righteousness, justice and equity;4To give 7prudence to the 8naive, To the youth 9knowledge and discretion,5A wise man will hear and 10increase in learning, And a 11man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,6To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their 12riddles.

713The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

814Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And 15do not forsake your mother’s teaching;9Indeed, they are a 16graceful wreath to your head And 1718ornaments about your neck.10My son, if sinners 19entice you, 20Do not consent.11If they say, “Come with us, Let us 21lie in wait for blood, Let us 22ambush the innocent without cause;12Let us 23swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who 24go down to the pit;13We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil;14Throw in your lot 25with us, We shall all have one purse,”15My son, 26do not walk in the way with them. 27Keep your feet from their path,16For 28their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood.17Indeed, it is 29useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any 30bird;18But they 31lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.19So are the ways of everyone who 32gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

2033Wisdom shouts in the street, She 34lifts her voice in the square;21At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:22“How long, O 3536naive ones, will you love 37being simple-minded? And 38scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools 39hate knowledge?23Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will 40pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.24Because 41I called and you 42refused, I 43stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;25And you 44neglected all my counsel And did not 45want my reproof;26I will also 46laugh at your 47calamity; I will mock when your 48dread comes,27When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a 49whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.28Then they will 50call on me, but I will not answer; They will 51seek me diligently but they will not find me,29Because they 52hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord.30They 53would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.31So they shall 54eat of the fruit of their own way And be 55satiated with their own devices.32For the 56waywardness of the 57naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.33But 58he who listens to me shall 59live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”