Proverbs 1: 1 - 2: 22
| 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 don’t 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, |
| don’t 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 plunder. |
| 14You shall cast your lot amongst us. |
| We’ll all have one purse.” |
| 15My son, don’t walk on the path with them. |
| Keep your foot from their path, |
| 16for their feet run to evil. |
| They hurry to shed blood. |
| 17For the net is spread in vain in the sight of any bird; |
| 18but these lay 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 they will call on me, but I will not answer. |
| They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me, |
| 29because they hated knowledge, |
| and didn’t 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.” |
| 1My son, if you will receive my words, |
| and store up my commandments within you, |
| 2so as to turn your ear to wisdom, |
| and apply your heart to understanding; |
| 3yes, if you call out for discernment, |
| and lift up your voice for understanding; |
| 4if you seek her as silver, |
| and search for her as for hidden treasures: |
| 5then you will understand the fear of the LORD, |
| and find the knowledge of God. |
| 6For the LORD gives wisdom. |
| Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. |
| 7He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. |
| He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, |
| 8that he may guard the paths of justice, |
| and preserve the way of his saints. |
| 9Then you will understand righteousness and justice, |
| equity and every good path. |
| 10For wisdom will enter into your heart. |
| Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. |
| 11Discretion will watch over you. |
| Understanding will keep you, |
| 12to deliver you from the way of evil, |
| from the men who speak perverse things, |
| 13who forsake the paths of uprightness, |
| to walk in the ways of darkness, |
| 14who rejoice to do evil, |
| and delight in the perverseness of evil, |
| 15who are crooked in their ways, |
| and wayward in their paths, |
| 16to deliver you from the strange woman, |
| even from the foreigner who flatters with her words, |
| 17who forsakes the friend of her youth, |
| and forgets the covenant of her God; |
| 18for her house leads down to death, |
| her paths to the departed spirits. |
| 19None who go to her return again, |
| neither do they attain to the paths of life. |
| 20So you may walk in the way of good men, |
| and keep the paths of the righteous. |
| 21For the upright will dwell in the land. |
| The perfect will remain in it. |
| 22But the wicked will be cut off from the land. |
| The treacherous will be rooted out of it. |
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