< Proverbs 1 >

1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
The Parables of Salomon the sonne of Dauid King of Israel,
2 to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
To knowe wisdome, and instruction, to vnderstand ye wordes of knowledge,
3 to receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness and judgment, and equity;
To receiue instruction to do wisely, by iustice and iudgement and equitie,
4 to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
To giue vnto the simple, sharpenesse of wit, and to the childe knowledge and discretion.
5 He that is wise will hear, and will increase learning; and the intelligent will gain wise counsels:
A wise man shall heare and increase in learning, and a man of vnderstanding shall attayne vnto wise counsels,
6 to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas.
To vnderstand a parable, and the interpretation, the wordes of ye wise, and their darke sayings.
7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
My sonne, heare thy fathers instruction, and forsake not thy mothers teaching.
9 for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
For they shalbe a comely ornament vnto thine head, and as chaines for thy necke.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not.
My sonne, if sinners doe intise thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
If they say, Come with vs, we will lay waite for blood, and lie priuilie for the innocent without a cause:
12 let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
We wil swallow them vp aliue like a graue euen whole, as those that goe downe into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
13 we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
We shall finde all precious riches, and fill our houses with spoyle:
14 cast in thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:
Cast in thy lot among vs: we will all haue one purse:
15 — my son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path;
My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them: refraine thy foote from their path.
16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
For their feete runne to euill, and make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain the net is spread in the sight of anything which hath wings.
Certainely as without cause the net is spred before the eyes of all that hath wing:
18 And these lay wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives.
So they lay waite for blood and lie priuily for their liues.
19 So are the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its possessors.
Such are the wayes of euery one that is greedy of gaine: he would take away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom crieth without; she raiseth her voice in the broadways;
Wisdome cryeth without: she vttereth her voyce in the streetes.
21 she calleth in the chief [place] of concourse, in the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words:
She calleth in the hye streete, among the prease in the entrings of the gates, and vttereth her wordes in the citie, saying,
22 How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge?
O ye foolish, howe long will ye loue foolishnes? and the scornefull take their pleasure in scorning, and the fooles hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known to you my words.
(Turne you at my correction: loe, I will powre out my mind vnto you, and make you vnderstand my wordes)
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;
Because I haue called, and ye refused: I haue stretched out mine hand, and none woulde regarde.
25 and ye have rejected all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
But ye haue despised all my counsell, and would none of my correction.
26 I also will laugh in your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;
I will also laugh at your destruction, and mocke, when your feare commeth.
27 when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you:
Whe your feare cometh like sudden desolation, and your destruction shall come like a whirle wind: whe affliction and anguish shall come vpon you,
28 — then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, and shall not find me.
Then shall they call vpon me, but I will not answere: they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me,
29 Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah;
Because they hated knowledge, and did not chuse the feare of the Lord.
30 they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof:
They would none of my counsell, but despised all my correction.
31 therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way, and be filled with their own devices.
Therefore shall they eate of ye fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuises.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall cause them to perish.
For ease slaieth the foolish, and the prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from fear of evil.
But he that obeyeth me, shall dwell safely, and be quiet from feare of euill.

< Proverbs 1 >