The Way of Wisdom
9 (A)Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her (B)seven (C)pillars.
2 She has (D)slaughtered her beasts; she has (E)mixed her wine;
she has also (F)set her table.
3 She has (G)sent out her young women to (H)call
from (I)the highest places in the town,
4 (J)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
(K)To him who lacks sense she says,
5 “Come, (L)eat of my bread
and (M)drink of (N)the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave (O)your simple ways,[a] and (P)live,
(Q)and walk in the way of insight.”
7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8 (R)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
(S)reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction[b] to a wise man, and he will be (T)still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will (U)increase in learning.
10 (V)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and (W)the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
11 For by me (X)your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12 (Y)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
The Way of Folly
13 (Z)The woman Folly is (AA)loud;
she is seductive[c] and (AB)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on (AC)the highest places of the town,
15 calling to those who pass by,
who are (AD)going straight on their way,
16 (AE)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
17 (AF)“Stolen water is sweet,
and (AG)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know (AH)that the dead[d] are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:6 Or Leave the company of the simple
- Proverbs 9:9 Hebrew lacks instruction
- Proverbs 9:13 Or full of simpleness
- Proverbs 9:18 Hebrew Rephaim
Cross references
- Proverbs 9:1 : [Matt. 16:18; 1 Pet. 2:5]; See Eph. 2:20-22
- Proverbs 9:1 : [Rev. 1:4]
- Proverbs 9:1 : [1 Tim. 3:15]
- Proverbs 9:2 : [Matt. 22:4]
- Proverbs 9:2 : ch. 23:30; Song 8:2
- Proverbs 9:2 : Ps. 23:5; [Luke 14:17]
- Proverbs 9:3 : [Ps. 68:11; Matt. 22:3; 23:34]
- Proverbs 9:3 : ch. 8:1, 2
- Proverbs 9:3 : ver. 14; ch. 8:2; [Matt. 10:27]
- Proverbs 9:4 : ver. 16; [Matt. 11:25; 1 Cor. 1:26]
- Proverbs 9:4 : ch. 6:32
- Proverbs 9:5 : [Song 5:1; Isa. 55:1; John 6:27]
- Proverbs 9:5 : [John 7:37]
- Proverbs 9:5 : [See ver. 2 above]; ch. 23:30; Song 8:2
- Proverbs 9:6 : See ch. 1:4
- Proverbs 9:6 : [ver. 11]
- Proverbs 9:6 : [ch. 23:19]
- Proverbs 9:8 : [Matt. 7:6]
- Proverbs 9:8 : See Ps. 141:5
- Proverbs 9:9 : [Matt. 13:12]
- Proverbs 9:9 : ch. 1:5
- Proverbs 9:10 : See ch. 1:7
- Proverbs 9:10 : ch. 30:3
- Proverbs 9:11 : [ch. 10:27]; See ch. 3:2
- Proverbs 9:12 : [Job 22:2, 3; 1 Cor. 3:8; Gal. 6:5]
- Proverbs 9:13 : For ver. 13-18, see ch. 7:7-27
- Proverbs 9:13 : ch. 7:11
- Proverbs 9:13 : ch. 5:6
- Proverbs 9:14 : ver. 3
- Proverbs 9:15 : [ver. 6]
- Proverbs 9:16 : ver. 4
- Proverbs 9:17 : [ch. 5:15]
- Proverbs 9:17 : [ch. 20:17; 30:20]
- Proverbs 9:18 : See ch. 7:27