1 T hese are the wise sayings of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

¶ The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel;

2 T hey show you how to know wisdom and teaching, to find the words of understanding.

to know wisdom and chastening; to understand prudent words;

3 T hey help you learn about the ways of wisdom and what is right and fair.

to receive the chastening of prudence, justice, judgment, and equity;

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

to give prudence to the simple, and to the young men knowledge and council.

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

If the wise will hear them, doctrine shall increase, and the man of understanding shall acquire wise counsel:

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

To understand a parable and the interpretation; the words of the wise and their enigmas.

7 T he fear of the Lord is the beginning of much learning. Fools hate wisdom and teaching.

¶ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and chastening.

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

My son, hearken unto the chastening of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

9 F or they are a glory to your head and a chain of beauty around your neck.

For they shall be an increase of grace unto thy head and protection about thy neck.

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

¶ My son, if sinners entice thee, do not consent.

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

If they say, Come with us, let us lay in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without cause.

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

Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol and whole as those that go down into the pit;

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

We shall find all kinds of riches, we shall fill our houses with spoil.

14 T hrow in your share with us. We will all have one money bag.”

Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

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

My son, do not walk in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

16 F or their feet run to sin and hurry to kill.

For their feet shall run to evil and make haste to shed blood.

17 Y es, the net is spread for nothing if the bird is watching.

Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

18 T hey set traps for their own lives and wait to die.

And they lay in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own souls.

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

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain which takes away the life of those who possess it.

20 W isdom calls out in the street. She lifts her voice in the center of town.

¶ Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets:

21 T here she cries out in the noisy streets. At the open gates of the city she speaks:

She cries in the chief place of concourse, in the entrance to the gates of the city she utters her words, saying,

22 “ 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?

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

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

Return at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

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

Because I have called and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one responded;

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

for because ye have disregarded all my counsel and rejected my reproof:

26 S o I will laugh at your trouble. I will laugh when you are afraid.

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes upon you;

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

when what you have feared comes as destruction, and your calamity comes as a whirlwind; when tribulation and anguish come upon you.

28 t hen they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will look for me, but they will not find me.

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

29 B ecause they hated much learning, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

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

They rejected my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

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

Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own counsel.

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

For the rest of the ignorant shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

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

But whosoever hearkens unto me shall dwell safely and shall rest from the fear of evil.