< Proverbs 1 >

1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, King of Israel:
The Proverbs of Solomon son of David, who reigned in Israel;
2 For the knowledge of wisdom and correction, for discerning the sayings of intelligence;
to know wisdom and instruction, and to perceive words of understanding;
3 For receiving the correction of prudence, righteousness and justice, and equity;
to receive also hard saying, and to understand true justice, and [how] to direct judgment;
4 For giving To the simple shrewdness, To the young man, knowledge and discretion.
that he might give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man discernment and understanding.
5 A wise man, will hear, and will increase learning, and a, discreet man, wise counsels, will acquire,
For by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser, and man of understanding will gain direction;
6 By gaining discernment of proverb, and satire, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
and will understand a parable, and a dark speech; the saying of the wise also, and riddles.
7 The reverence of Yahweh, is the beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and correction, the foolish have despised.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and [there is] good understanding to all that practise it: and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment; but the ungodly will set at nothing wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the correction of thy father, and do not reject the instruction of thy mother;
Hear, [my] son, the instruction of your father, and reject not the rules of your mother.
9 For, a wreath of beauty, shall they be to thy head, and chains of ornament, to thy neck.
For you shall receive for your head a crown of graces, and a chain of gold round your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, do not consent.
[My] son, let not ungodly men lead you astray, neither consent you [to them].
11 If they say—Come with us, —Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us watch in secret for him who is needlessly innocent;
If they should exhort you, saying, Come with us, partake in blood, and let us unjustly hide the just man in the earth:
12 Let us engulf them, like hades, alive, While in health, like them who are going down to the pit; (Sheol h7585)
and let us swallow him alive, as Hades [would], and remove the memorial of him from the earth: (Sheol h7585)
13 All costly substance, shall we find, We shall fill our houses with spoil;
let us seize on his valuable property, and let us fill our houses with spoils:
14 Thy lot, shalt thou cast into our midst, One purse, shall there be, for us all.
but do you cast in your lot with us, and let us all provide a common purse, and let us have one pouch:
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path.
go not in the way with them, but turn aside your foot from their paths:
16 For, their feet, to mischief, do run, and haste to the shedding of blood.
[For their feet run to do evil, and are swift to shed blood. ]
17 Surely, in vain, is spread the net, in the sight of aught that hath wings!
for nets are not without cause spread for birds.
18 Yet, they, for their own blood, lie in wait, They watch in secret for their own life.
For they that are concerned in murder store up evils for themselves; and the overthrow of transgressors is evil.
19 Such are the ways of every one that graspeth with greed, The life of the owners thereof, it taketh away!
These are the ways of all that perform lawless deeds; for by ungodliness they destroy their own life.
20 Wisdom, in the open place, soundeth forth, in the broadways, she raiseth her voice;
Wisdom sings aloud in passages, and in the broad places speaks boldly.
21 At the head of bustling streets, she crieth aloud, —at the openings of the gates in the city—her sayings, she doth utter: —
And she makes proclamation on the top of the walls, and sits by the gates of princes; and at the gates of the city boldly says,
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and, scoffers, in scoffing, delight them? and, dullards, hate knowledge?
So long as the simple cleave to justice, they shall not be ashamed: but the foolish being lovers of haughtiness, having become ungodly have hated knowledge, and are become subject to reproofs.
23 Will ye turn, at my reproof? Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, I will make known my words to you.
Behold, I will bring forth to you the utterance of my breath, and I will instruct you in my speech.
24 Because I called, and ye refused, I stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;
Since I called, and you did not listen; and I spoke at length, and you gave no heed;
25 But ye dismissed all my counsel, and, to my rebuke, would not yield,
but you set at nothing my counsels, and disregarded my reproofs;
26 I also, at your calamity, will laugh, I will mock, when cometh your dread;
therefore I also will laugh at your destruction; and I will rejoice against [you] when ruin comes upon you:
27 When cometh as a crashing your dread, and, your calamity, as a storm-wind, overtaketh, when there come upon you, distress and anguish.
yes when dismay suddenly comes upon you, and [your] overthrow shall arrive like a tempest; and when tribulation and distress shall come upon you, or when ruin shall come upon you.
28 Then, will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me diligently, but shall not find me.
For it shall be that when you call upon me, I will not listen to you: wicked men shall seek me, but shall not find [me].
29 Because they hated knowledge, and, the reverence of Yahweh, did not choose;
For they hated wisdom, and did not choose the word of the Lord:
30 Consented not to my counsel, disdained all my rebuke,
neither would they attend to my counsels, but derided my reproofs.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and, with their own counsels, be filled.
Therefore shall they eat the fruits of their own way, and shall be filled with their own ungodliness.
32 For, the turning away of the simple, will slay them, —and, the carelessness of dullards, will destroy them.
For because they wronged the simple, they shall be slain; and an inquisition shall ruin the ungodly.
33 Whereas, he that hearkeneth unto me, shall dwell safely, and be at rest, without dread of misfortune.
But he that hearkens to me shall dwell in confidence, and shall rest securely from all evil.

< Proverbs 1 >