Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
They are for achieving wisdom and instruction, and to recognize sayings that bring insight.
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
They provide education in what makes sense, living right, judging correctly, and acting fairly.
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
They give discernment to the immature, knowledge and discretion to the young.
5 A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Wise people will listen and gain in learning, and those who have good judgment will gain skills in guidance,
6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
understanding the proverbs and puzzles, the sayings and questions of the wise.
7 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Honoring the Lord is where true knowledge begins, but fools treat wisdom and good advice with contempt.
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
My son, pay attention to your father's instruction, and don't reject your mother's teaching.
9 For they [shall be] an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
They are a wreath of grace to decorate your head; they are pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
My son, if evil people try to tempt you, don't give into them.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
They may tell you, “Come with us. Let's go and hide, ready to kill someone. Let's ambush someone for fun!
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
Let's bury them alive; let's put them in the grave while they're still healthy! (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
We'll take from them all kinds of valuable things and fill our homes with the stuff we steal!
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
Come and join us and we'll all share what we get!”
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
My son, don't follow their ways. Don't go in that direction with them.
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
For they rush to do evil; they hurry to commit violence and murder.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
There's no point in trying to lure birds into a net when they can see it.
18 And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk privily for their [own] lives.
However, these evil people hide ready to kill others, but they themselves are the victims. They're only ambushing themselves!
19 So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; [which] taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
This is what happens to you if you try to become rich through crime—it kills you!
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
Wisdom calls out in the streets; she shouts aloud in the squares.
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying],
She cries out at busy corners; she explains her message at the town gates:
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
“How long will you stupid people love stupidity? How long will scornful people enjoy their mocking? How long will fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
Pay attention to my warnings, and I'll pour out my deepest thoughts to you—I'll explain what I know to you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
For I have called you, but you refused to listen; I reached out my hand to you, but you didn't care.
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
You ignored everything I said; you wouldn't accept any of my warnings.
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
So I'll laugh at you when you're in trouble; I'll mock you when you're in a panic.
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
When panic rains down on you like a storm, when trouble hits you like a whirlwind, when sorrow and pain come on you,
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
then you'll call out to me for help, but I won't answer; you'll search hard for me, but won't find me.
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Why?—because they hated knowledge, and they didn't choose to respect the Lord.
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
They're not willing to accept my advice; they despise all my warnings.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
So they'll have to eat the fruit of their own choices, bloated by their own devious schemes.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
Stupid people are killed by their rebellion; foolish people are destroyed by their lack of concern.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
But everyone who listens to me will be kept safe, and will live without worrying about problems.”
