Proverbs 9
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Wisdom versus Foolishness
9 Wisdom has built her house;(A)
she has carved out her seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat;(B) she has mixed her wine;(C)
she has also set her table.(D)
3 She has sent out her female servants;(E)
she calls out from the highest points of the city:(F)
4 “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”
To the one who lacks sense,(G) she says,
5 “Come, eat my bread,(H)
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave inexperience behind, and you will live;
pursue the way of understanding.
7 The one who corrects a mocker
will bring dishonor on himself;
the one who rebukes a wicked man will get hurt.[a]
8 Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;(I)
rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.(J)
9 Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man, and he will learn more.(K)
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,(L)
and the knowledge of the Holy One(M) is understanding.
11 For by Wisdom your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit;(N)
if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.”
13 The woman Folly is rowdy;(O)
she is gullible and knows nothing.(P)
14 She sits by the doorway of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling to those who pass by,
who go straight ahead on their paths:(Q)
16 “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”
To the one who lacks sense, she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten secretly is tasty!”(R)
18 But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there,(S)
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.(T)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:7 Lit man his blemish
Proverbs 9
New Living Translation
9 Wisdom has built her house;
she has carved its seven columns.
2 She has prepared a great banquet,
mixed the wines, and set the table.
3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.
She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.
4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
To those who lack good judgment, she says,
5 “Come, eat my food,
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;
learn to use good judgment.”
7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
8 So don’t bother correcting mockers;
they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise,
and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
and they will learn even more.
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
11 Wisdom will multiply your days
and add years to your life.
12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
Folly Calls for a Hearing
13 The woman named Folly is brash.
She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.
14 She sits in her doorway
on the heights overlooking the city.
15 She calls out to men going by
who are minding their own business.
16 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
To those who lack good judgment, she says,
17 “Stolen water is refreshing;
food eaten in secret tastes the best!”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there.
Her guests are in the depths of the grave.[a]
Footnotes
- 9:18 Hebrew in Sheol.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
