The Usefulness of Proverbs
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon (B)the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know (C)wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of (D)understanding,
3 To (E)receive instruction in wise behavior,
(F)Righteousness, justice and equity;
4 To give (G)prudence to the [a]naive,
To the youth (H)knowledge and discretion,
5 A wise man will hear and (I)increase in learning,
And a (J)man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their (K)riddles.
7 (L)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 (M)Hear, my son, your father’s instruction
And (N)do not forsake your mother’s teaching;
9 Indeed, they are a (O)graceful wreath to your head
And [b](P)ornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners (Q)entice you,
(R)Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us (S)lie in wait for blood,
Let us (T)ambush the innocent without cause;
12 Let us (U)swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, as those who (V)go down to the pit;
13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with spoil;
14 Throw in your lot [c]with us,
We shall all have one purse,”
15 My son, (W)do not walk in the way with them.
(X)Keep your feet from their path,
16 For (Y)their feet run to evil
And they hasten to shed blood.
17 Indeed, it is [d]useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any [e]bird;
18 But they (Z)lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who (AA)gains by violence;
It takes away the life of its possessors.
Wisdom Warns
20 (AB)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She [f]lifts her voice in the square;
21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
22 “How long, O [g](AC)naive ones, will you love [h]being simple-minded?
And (AD)scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools (AE)hate knowledge?
23 “Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will (AF)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 “Because (AG)I called and you (AH)refused,
I (AI)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you (AJ)neglected all my counsel
And did not (AK)want my reproof;
26 I will also (AL)laugh at your (AM)calamity;
I will mock when your (AN)dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a (AO)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will (AP)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will (AQ)seek me diligently but they will not find me,
29 Because they (AR)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 “They (AS)would not accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.
31 “So they shall (AT)eat of the fruit of their own way
And be (AU)satiated with their own devices.
32 “For the (AV)waywardness of the [i]naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 “But (AW)he who listens to me shall [j]live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:4 Lit simple ones
- Proverbs 1:9 Lit necklaces
- Proverbs 1:14 Lit in the midst of us
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit in vain
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit possessor of wing
- Proverbs 1:20 Lit gives
- Proverbs 1:22 Lit simple ones
- Proverbs 1:22 Or naivete
- Proverbs 1:32 Lit simple ones
- Proverbs 1:33 Lit dwell
Cross references
- Proverbs 1:1 : 1 Kin 4:32; Prov 10:1; 25:1; Eccl 12:9
- Proverbs 1:1 : Eccl 1:1
- Proverbs 1:2 : Prov 15:33
- Proverbs 1:2 : Prov 4:1
- Proverbs 1:3 : Prov 2:1; 19:20
- Proverbs 1:3 : Prov 2:9
- Proverbs 1:4 : Prov 8:5, 12
- Proverbs 1:4 : Prov 2:10, 11; 3:21
- Proverbs 1:5 : Prov 9:9
- Proverbs 1:5 : Prov 14:6; Eccl 9:11
- Proverbs 1:6 : Num 12:8; Ps 49:4; 78:2; Dan 8:23
- Proverbs 1:7 : Job 28:28; Ps 111:10; Prov 9:10; 15:33; Eccl 12:13
- Proverbs 1:8 : Prov 4:1
- Proverbs 1:8 : Prov 6:20
- Proverbs 1:9 : Prov 4:9
- Proverbs 1:9 : Gen 41:42; Dan 5:29
- Proverbs 1:10 : Prov 16:29
- Proverbs 1:10 : Gen 39:7-10; Deut 13:8; Ps 50:18; Eph 5:11
- Proverbs 1:11 : Prov 12:6; Jer 5:26
- Proverbs 1:11 : Ps 10:8; Prov 1:18
- Proverbs 1:12 : Ps 124:3
- Proverbs 1:12 : Ps 28:1
- Proverbs 1:15 : Ps 1:1; Prov 4:14
- Proverbs 1:15 : Ps 119:101
- Proverbs 1:16 : Prov 6:17, 18; Is 59:7
- Proverbs 1:18 : Prov 11:19
- Proverbs 1:19 : Prov 15:27
- Proverbs 1:20 : Prov 8:1-3; 9:3
- Proverbs 1:22 : Prov 1:4, 32; 8:5; 9:4; 22:3
- Proverbs 1:22 : Ps 1:1
- Proverbs 1:22 : Prov 1:29; 5:12
- Proverbs 1:23 : Is 32:15; Joel 2:28; John 7:39
- Proverbs 1:24 : Is 65:12; 66:4; Jer 7:13
- Proverbs 1:24 : Zech 7:11
- Proverbs 1:24 : Is 65:2; Rom 10:21
- Proverbs 1:25 : Ps 107:11; Luke 7:30
- Proverbs 1:25 : Prov 15:10
- Proverbs 1:26 : Ps 2:4
- Proverbs 1:26 : Prov 6:15
- Proverbs 1:26 : Prov 10:24
- Proverbs 1:27 : Prov 10:25
- Proverbs 1:28 : 1 Sam 8:18; Job 27:9; 35:12; Ps 18:41; Is 1:15; Jer 11:11; 14:12; Ezek 8:18; Mic 3:4; Zech 7:13; James 4:3
- Proverbs 1:28 : Prov 8:17
- Proverbs 1:29 : Job 21:14; Prov 1:22
- Proverbs 1:30 : Ps 81:11; Prov 1:25
- Proverbs 1:31 : Job 4:8; Prov 5:22, 23; 22:8; Is 3:11; Jer 6:19
- Proverbs 1:31 : Prov 14:14
- Proverbs 1:32 : Jer 2:19
- Proverbs 1:33 : Ps 25:12, 13; Prov 3:24-26