Proverbs 1

1The parables of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel,

1The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.

1Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2To know wisdom, and instruction:

2To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:

2For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,

3To understand the words of prudence: and to receive the instruction of doctrine, justice, and judgment, and equity:

3To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:

3For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,

4To give subtilty to little ones, to the young man knowledge and understanding.

4To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:

4For giving to simple ones--prudence, To a youth--knowledge and discretion.

5A wise man shall hear, and shall be wiser: and he that understandeth shall possess governments.

5(The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided:)

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

6He shall understand a parable and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their mysterious sayings.

6To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.

6For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.

7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

7The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.

7Fear of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!

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

8My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:

8Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,

9That grace may be added to thy head, and a chain of gold to thy neck.

9For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.

9For a graceful wreath <FI>are<Fi> they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.

10My son, if sinners shall entice thee, consent not to them.

10My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.

10My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.

11If they shall say: Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us hide snares for the innocent without cause:

11If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;

11If they say, `Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,

12Let us swallow him up alive like hell, and whole as one that goeth down into the pit.

12Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death;

12We swallow them as Sheol--alive, And whole--as those going down <FI>to<Fi> the pit,

13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoils.

13Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;

13Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses <FI>with<Fi> spoil,

14Cast in thy lot with us, let us all have one purse.

14Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:

14Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is--to all of us.'

15My son, walk not thou with them, restrain thy foot from their paths.

15My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:

15My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,

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

16For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.

16For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.

17But a net is spread in vain before the eyes of them that have wings.

17Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:

17Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.

18And they themselves lie in wait for their own blood, and practise deceits against their own souls.

18And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.

18And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.

19So the ways of every covetous man destroy the souls of the possessors.

19Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.

19So <FI>are<Fi> the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.

20Wisdom preacheth abroad, she uttereth her voice in the streets:

20Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;

20Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,

21At the head of multitudes she crieth out, in the entrance of the gates of the city she uttereth her words, saying:

21Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:

21At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:

22O children, how long will you love childishness, and fools covet those things which are hurtful to themselves, and the unwise hate knowledge?

22How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?

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

23Turn ye at my reproof: behold I will utter my spirit to you, and will shew you my words.

23Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.

23Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.

24Because I called, and you refused: I stretched out my hand, and there was none that regarded.

24Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;

24Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,

25You have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions.

25You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:

25And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.

26I also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock when that shall come to you which you feared.

26So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;

26I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,

27When sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruction, as a tempest, shall be at hand: when tribulation and distress shall come upon you:

27When your fear comes on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you.

27When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.

28Then shall they call upon me, and I will not hear: they shall rise in the morning, and shall not find me:

28Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:

28Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.

29Because they have hated instruction, and received not the fear of the Lord,

29For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:

29Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.

30Nor consented to my counsel, but despised all my reproof.

30They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.

30They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,

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

31So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.

31And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.

32The turning away of little ones shall kill them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

32For the turning back of the simple from teaching will be the cause of their death, and the peace of the foolish will be their destruction.

32For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.

33But he that shall hear me, shall rest without terror, and shall enjoy abundance, without fear of evils.

33But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.

33And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And <FI>is<Fi> quiet from fear of evil!'