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 integrity;4To give 7prudence to the naive, To the youth 8knowledge and discretion,5A wise person will hear and 9increase in learning, And a 10person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,6To understand a proverb and a saying, The words of the wise and their 11riddles.

712The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

813Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, And 14do not ignore your mother’s teaching;9For they are a 15graceful wreath for your head And 16necklaces for your neck.10My son, if sinners 17entice you, 18Do not consent.11If they say, “Come with us, Let’s 19lie in wait for blood, Let’s 20ambush the innocent without cause;12Let’s 21swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, like those who 22go down to the pit;13We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with plunder;14Throw in your lot 23with us; We will all have one money bag,”15My son, 24do not walk on the way with them. 25Keep your feet from their path,16For 26their feet run to evil, And they are quick to shed blood.17Indeed, it is 27useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any 28bird;18But they 29lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.19Such are the ways of everyone who 30makes unjust gain; It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

2031Wisdom shouts in the street, She 32raises her voice in the public square;21At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:22“How long, you 33naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking? And how long will 34scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools 35hate knowledge?23Turn to my rebuke, Behold, I will 36pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.24Because 37I called and you 38refused, I 39stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;25And you 40neglected all my advice And did not 41want my rebuke;26I will also 42laugh at your 43disaster; I will mock when your 44dread comes,27When your dread comes like a storm And your disaster comes like a 45whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.28Then they will 46call on me, but I will not answer; They will 47seek me diligently but will not find me,29Because they 48hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord.30They 49did not accept my advice, They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.31So they shall 50eat of the fruit of their own way, And be 51filled with their own schemes.32For the 52faithlessness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.33But 53whoever listens to me will live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”