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Proverbs 1:20-33
Expanded Bible
Proverbs 1:20-33
Expanded Bible
Wisdom Speaks
20 Wisdom [C the personification of God’s wisdom; 8:1–36; 9:1–6] ·is like a woman shouting [L shouts] in the street;
she ·raises her voice [yells out] in the city squares [C the hub for business, government, and social interaction].
21 She cries out ·in the noisy street [L at the top of the noisy throng]
and shouts at the [L entrances of] city gates:
22 “You ·fools [simpletons; immature ones], how long will you be ·foolish [immature]?
How long will you make ·fun of wisdom [mocking so dear to you]
and hate knowledge?
23 If only you had ·listened [responded] when I corrected you,
I would have ·told you what’s in my heart [L poured forth my spirit to you];
I would have ·told you what I am thinking [L revealed my words to you].
24 I called, but you ·refused to listen [rejected me];
I held out my hand, but you paid no attention.
25 You ·did not follow [ignored] my advice
and did not ·listen when I corrected [want me to correct] you.
26 So I will laugh ·when you are in trouble [L at your calamity].
I will ·make fun [ridicule you] when disaster strikes you,
27 when ·disaster [dread] comes over you like a ·storm [tempest],
when trouble strikes you like a whirlwind,
when ·pain [distress] and ·trouble [oppression] overwhelm you.
28 “Then you will call to me,
but I will not answer.
You will ·look for [seek] me,
but you will not find me.
29 It is because you ·rejected [hated] knowledge
and did not choose to ·respect [fear; hold in awe] the Lord.
30 You did not ·accept [want] my advice,
and you rejected my correction.
31 So you will ·get what you deserve [L eat from the fruit of your path];
you will ·get what you planned for others [or be satisfied with your own counsel].
32 ·Fools [The simple/immature] will die because they ·refuse to listen [L turn away];
·they [L fools] will be destroyed because ·they do not care [of complacency].
33 But those who ·listen to [obey] me will live in safety
·and be at peace, without fear of injury [untroubled by the dread of harm].”
Proverbs 1:20-33
Amplified Bible
Proverbs 1:20-33
Amplified Bible
Wisdom Warns
20
[a]Wisdom shouts in the street,
She raises her voice in the markets;
21
She calls out at the head of the noisy streets [where large crowds gather];
At the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words:
22
“How long, O naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning?
How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing,
How long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge?
23
“If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke,
Behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.(A)
24
“Because I called and you refused [to answer],
I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer];(B)
25
And you treated all my counsel as nothing
And would not accept my reprimand,
26
I also will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when your dread and panic come,
27
When your dread and panic come like a storm,
And your disaster comes like a whirlwind,
When anxiety and distress come upon you [as retribution].
28
“Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer;
They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,(C)
29
Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord [that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect],(D)
30
They would not accept my counsel,
And they spurned all my rebuke.
31
“Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own [wicked] way
And be satiated with [the penalty of] their own devices.
32
“For the turning away of the [b]naive will kill them,
And the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them.(E)
33
“But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust
And will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom is personified as a woman in vv 20-33 and speaks, in the first person, of godly wisdom. Read the word “wisdom” as “the wisdom of God” and see the wonderful power of this book.
- Proverbs 1:32 Lit simple ones.
Proverbs 1:20-33
New International Version
Proverbs 1:20-33
New International Version
Wisdom’s Rebuke
20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,(A)
she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall[a] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
22 “How long will you who are simple(B) love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate(C) knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But since you refuse(D) to listen when I call(E)
and no one pays attention(F) when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh(G) when disaster(H) strikes you;
I will mock(I) when calamity overtakes you(J)—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster(K) sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;(L)
they will look for me but will not find me,(M)
29 since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.(N)
30 Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,(O)
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.(P)
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;(Q)
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety(R)
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”(S)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:21 Septuagint; Hebrew / at noisy street corners
Proverbs 9:13-18
Expanded Bible
Proverbs 9:13-18
Expanded Bible
13 ·Foolishness is like a loud woman [Woman Folly is boisterous/noisy];
she ·does not have wisdom or knowledge [L is ignorant and does not even know it].
14 She sits at the door of her house
at the highest place in the city [9:3; C her house is built on the highest point of the city, indicating she symbolizes false gods].
15 She ·calls out to [invites] those who are passing by,
who are going along, minding their own business.
16 She says to those who ·are uneducated [lack sense/heart],
“·Come in [Turn aside] here, you ·foolish [naive; immature; simpleminded] people!
17 Stolen water is sweeter,
and food eaten in secret tastes better.”
18 But these people don’t know that ·everyone who goes there dies [the dead/departed/shades are there],
that her guests ·end up deep in the grave [L are in the depths of Sheol].
Proverbs 9:13-18
Amplified Bible
Proverbs 9:13-18
Amplified Bible
13
The foolish woman is restless and noisy;
She is naive and easily misled and thoughtless, and knows nothing at all [of eternal value].
14
She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by the high and conspicuous places of the city,
15
Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their paths straight:
16
“Whoever is naive or inexperienced, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks understanding (common sense), she says,
17
“Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden];
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”(A)
18
But he does not know that the spirits of the dead are there,
And that her guests are [already] in the depths of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).
Proverbs 9:13-18
New International Version
Proverbs 9:13-18
New International Version
13 Folly is an unruly woman;(A)
she is simple and knows nothing.(B)
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,(C)
15 calling out(D) to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way,
16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense(E) she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!(F)”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.(G)
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