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

Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2 T o know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding,

For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,

3 T o receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity;

For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,

4 T o give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion,

For giving to simple ones -- prudence, To a youth -- knowledge and discretion.

5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

(The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)

6 T o understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles.

For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.

7 T he fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. The Enticement of Sinners

Fear of Jehovah a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!

8 H ear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;

Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,

9 I ndeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck.

For a graceful wreath they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.

10 M y son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.

My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.

11 I f they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause;

If they say, `Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,

12 L et us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;

We swallow them as Sheol -- alive, And whole -- as those going down the pit,

13 W e will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil;

Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses spoil,

14 T hrow in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,”

Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is -- to all of us.'

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

My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,

16 F or their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood.

For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.

17 I ndeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird;

Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.

18 B ut they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.

And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.

19 S o are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns

So the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.

20 W isdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square;

Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,

21 A t the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:

At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:

22 “ How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?

`Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools hate knowledge?

23 “ Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.

24 “ Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,

25 A nd you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof;

And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.

26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes,

I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,

27 W hen your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.

When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.

28 “ Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,

Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.

29 B ecause they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord.

Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.

30 “ They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.

They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,

31 “ So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices.

And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.

32 “ For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.

33 “ But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And quiet from fear of evil!'