1 T he proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

These are the wise sayings of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2 T o know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

They show you how to know wisdom and teaching, to find the words of understanding.

3 T o receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

They help you learn about the ways of wisdom and what is right and fair.

4 T o give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

They give wisdom to the child-like, and much learning and wisdom to those who are young.

5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

A wise man will hear and grow in learning. A man of understanding will become able

6 T o understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

to understand a saying and a picture-story, the words of the wise and what they mean.

7 T he fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of much learning. Fools hate wisdom and teaching.

8 M y son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Hear your father’s teaching, my son, and do not turn away from your mother’s teaching.

9 F or they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

For they are a glory to your head and a chain of beauty around your neck.

10 M y son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

My son, if sinners try to lead you into sin, do not go with them.

11 I f they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

If they say, “Come with us. Let us lie in wait to kill someone. Let us set a trap for those who are without blame.

12 L et us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

Let us swallow them alive like death, as those who go down to the grave.

13 W e shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

We will find all kinds of things of great worth. We will fill our houses with the stolen riches.

14 C ast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

Throw in your share with us. We will all have one money bag.”

15 M y son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path.

16 F or their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

For their feet run to sin and hurry to kill.

17 S urely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

Yes, the net is spread for nothing if the bird is watching.

18 A nd they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

They set traps for their own lives and wait to die.

19 S o are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

Such are the ways of all who get things by hurting others. Their desire for stolen riches takes away their own lives.

20 W isdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

Wisdom calls out in the street. She lifts her voice in the center of town.

21 S he crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

There she cries out in the noisy streets. At the open gates of the city she speaks:

22 H ow long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

“O foolish ones, how long will you love being foolish? How long will those who laugh at others be happy in their laughing? How long will fools hate much learning?

23 T urn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

Listen to my strong words! See, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make my words known to you.

24 B ecause I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

I called but you would not listen. I put out my hand and no one gave it a thought.

25 B ut ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

You did not listen when I told you what you should do, and you would not hear any of my strong words.

26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

So I will laugh at your trouble. I will laugh when you are afraid.

27 W hen your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

Fear will come to you like a storm. Hard times will come like a strong wind. When trouble and suffering come upon you,

28 T hen shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will look for me, but they will not find me.

29 F or that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:

Because they hated much learning, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

30 T hey would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

They would not listen when I told them what they should do. They laughed at all my strong words.

31 T herefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own plans.

32 F or the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

For the foolish will be killed by their turning away. The trust that fools put in themselves will destroy them.

33 B ut whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

But he who listens to me will live free from danger, and he will rest easy from the fear of what is sinful.”