Proverbs 1
New King James Version
The Beginning of Knowledge
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To [a]perceive the words of understanding,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the (B)simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
5 (C)A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will [b]attain wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their (D)riddles.
7 (E)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Shun Evil Counsel
8 (F)My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9 For they will be a (G)graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
(H)Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us (I)lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like [c]Sheol,
And whole, (J)like those who go down to the Pit;
13 We shall find all kinds of precious [d]possessions,
We shall fill our houses with [e]spoil;
14 Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—
15 My son, (K)do not walk in the way with them,
(L)Keep your foot from their path;
16 (M)For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely, in [f]vain the net is spread
In the sight of any [g]bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 (N)So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.
The Call of Wisdom
20 (O)Wisdom calls aloud [h]outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the [i]chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22 “How long, you [j]simple ones, will you love [k]simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely (P)I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 (Q)Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you (R)disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 (S)I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When (T)your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then(U) they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they (V)hated knowledge
And did not (W)choose the fear of the Lord,
30 (X)They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore (Y)they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the [l]turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell (Z)safely,
And (AA)will be [m]secure, without fear of evil.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:2 understand or discern
- Proverbs 1:5 acquire
- Proverbs 1:12 Or the grave
- Proverbs 1:13 Lit. wealth
- Proverbs 1:13 plunder
- Proverbs 1:17 futility
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit. lord of the wing
- Proverbs 1:20 in the street
- Proverbs 1:21 LXX, Syr., Tg. top of the walls; Vg. the head of multitudes
- Proverbs 1:22 naive
- Proverbs 1:22 naivete
- Proverbs 1:32 waywardness
- Proverbs 1:33 at ease
Proverbs 7
New King James Version
The Wiles of a Harlot
7 My son, keep my words,
And (A)treasure my commands within you.
2 (B)Keep my commands and live,
(C)And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 (D)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 (E)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
The Crafty Harlot
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [a]youths,
A young man (F)devoid[b] of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 (G)In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 (H)She was loud and rebellious,
(I)Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an [c]impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of (J)Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For [d]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [e]with him,
And will come home [f]on the appointed day.”
21 [g]With (K)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(L)With her flattering lips she [h]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [i]as a fool to the correction of the [j]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(M)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [k]would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (N)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (O)Her house is the way to [l]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
- Proverbs 7:7 lacking
- Proverbs 7:13 shameless
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
- Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
- Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
- Proverbs 7:21 compelled
- Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
- Proverbs 7:22 shackles
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
- Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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