Proverbs 1
1 The Parables of Salomon the sonne of Dauid King of Israel,
The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
2 To knowe wisdome, and instruction, to vnderstand ye wordes of knowledge,
To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
3 To receiue instruction to do wisely, by iustice and iudgement and equitie,
To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
4 To giue vnto the simple, sharpenesse of wit, and to the childe knowledge and discretion.
To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
5 A wise man shall heare and increase in learning, and a man of vnderstanding shall attayne vnto wise counsels,
(The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided: )
6 To vnderstand a parable, and the interpretation, the wordes of ye wise, and their darke sayings.
To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
7 The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction.
The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
8 My sonne, heare thy fathers instruction, and forsake not thy mothers teaching.
My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
9 For they shalbe a comely ornament vnto thine head, and as chaines for thy necke.
For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
10 My sonne, if sinners doe intise thee, consent thou not.
My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.
11 If they say, Come with vs, we will lay waite for blood, and lie priuilie for the innocent without a cause:
If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;
12 We wil swallow them vp aliue like a graue euen whole, as those that goe downe into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death; (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall finde all precious riches, and fill our houses with spoyle:
Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
14 Cast in thy lot among vs: we will all haue one purse:
Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
15 My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them: refraine thy foote from their path.
My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
16 For their feete runne to euill, and make haste to shed blood.
For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
17 Certainely as without cause the net is spred before the eyes of all that hath wing:
Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
18 So they lay waite for blood and lie priuily for their liues.
And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
19 Such are the wayes of euery one that is greedy of gaine: he would take away the life of the owners thereof.
Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdome cryeth without: she vttereth her voyce in the streetes.
Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
21 She calleth in the hye streete, among the prease in the entrings of the gates, and vttereth her wordes in the citie, saying,
Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
22 O ye foolish, howe long will ye loue foolishnes? and the scornefull take their pleasure in scorning, and the fooles hate knowledge?
How 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?
23 (Turne you at my correction: loe, I will powre out my mind vnto you, and make you vnderstand my wordes)
Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.
24 Because I haue called, and ye refused: I haue stretched out mine hand, and none woulde regarde.
Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
25 But ye haue despised all my counsell, and would none of my correction.
You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
26 I will also laugh at your destruction, and mocke, when your feare commeth.
So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
27 Whe your feare cometh like sudden desolation, and your destruction shall come like a whirle wind: whe affliction and anguish shall come vpon you,
When your fear comes on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you.
28 Then shall they call vpon me, but I will not answere: they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me,
Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
29 Because they hated knowledge, and did not chuse the feare of the Lord.
For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsell, but despised all my correction.
They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
31 Therefore shall they eate of ye fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuises.
So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
32 For ease slaieth the foolish, and the prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them.
For 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.
33 But he that obeyeth me, shall dwell safely, and be quiet from feare of euill.
But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
