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The Enticement of Sinners

(A)Hear, my son, your father’s discipline
And (B)do not abandon your mother’s [a]instruction;
For they are a (C)garland of grace for your head
And [b](D)ornaments about your neck.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 1:8 Or law
  2. Proverbs 1:9 Lit necklaces

Solomon’s Speeches About Wisdom

First Address to a Son:
Avoid the Company of Sinners

Listen, my son, to your father’s discipline,
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching,
because they are a garland of grace for your head.
They are jewelry for your neck.

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Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom

Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

Listen, my son,(A) to your father’s(B) instruction
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(C)
They are a garland to grace your head
    and a chain to adorn your neck.(D)

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Trust, Fear, and Honor Yahweh

My son, (A)do not forget my [a]law,
But let your heart (B)guard my commandments;
For (C)length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:1 Or instruction

Third Address to a Son:
Wisdom Leads to the Lord’s Blessing

My son, do not forget my teaching.
Let your heart keep my commands,
because they will add long days and many years to your life,
and peace and prosperity[a] will come to you.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:2 The Hebrew word shalom here contains both meanings.

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

My son,(A) do not forget my teaching,(B)
    but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years(C)
    and bring you peace and prosperity.(D)

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A Father’s Wise Instruction

Hear, O sons, the (A)discipline of a father,
And (B)pay attention that you may know understanding,
For I give you [a]sound (C)learning;
(D)Do not forsake my [b]instruction.
When I was a son to my father,
(E)Tender and (F)the only son before my mother,
Then he (G)instructed me and said to me,
“Let your heart (H)hold fast my words;
(I)Keep my commandments and live;

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 4:2 Lit good
  2. Proverbs 4:2 Or law

An Address to Sons:
Your Parents Teach You Wisdom

Listen, you sons, to a father’s discipline.
Pay attention so that you will gain discernment,
because I have given you good instruction.
Do not abandon my teaching.
When I was a son living with my father,
a tender and only child with my mother,
he used to instruct me and say to me,
“Cling to my words with all your heart.
Obey my commands so that you may live.

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Get Wisdom at Any Cost

Listen, my sons,(A) to a father’s instruction;(B)
    pay attention and gain understanding.(C)
I give you sound learning,
    so do not forsake my teaching.
For I too was a son to my father,
    still tender, and cherished by my mother.
Then he taught me, and he said to me,
    “Take hold(D) of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.(E)

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Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked

10 The (A)proverbs of Solomon.

(B)A wise son makes a father glad,
But (C)a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

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The Collected Proverbs of Solomon

10 The proverbs of Solomon.

Introduction to Wisdom and Righteousness

A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

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Proverbs of Solomon

10 The proverbs(A) of Solomon:(B)

A wise son brings joy to his father,(C)
    but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

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22 A good man (A)leaves an inheritance to his [a]children’s children,
And the (B)wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:22 Lit sons’ sons

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

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22 A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
    but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.(A)

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20 A (A)wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man (B)despises his mother.

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Advice for a Wise Son

20 A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish person despises his mother.

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20 A wise son brings joy to his father,(A)
    but a foolish man despises his mother.

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[a](A)Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the (B)beauty of sons is their fathers.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:6 Lit Sons’ sons

Grandchildren are a crown for the elderly,
and parents are a source of pride for their children.

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Children’s children(A) are a crown to the aged,
    and parents are the pride of their children.

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21 He who (A)begets a fool does so to his grief,
And the father of a wicked fool is not glad.

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21 The man who fathers a fool has grief,
and the father of an arrogant fool will have no joy.

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21 To have a fool for a child brings grief;
    there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.(A)

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25 A (A)foolish son is a vexation to his father
And (B)bitterness to her who gave birth to him.

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Avoiding Fools and Foolishness

25 A foolish son is an aggravation to his father
and bitterness to the woman who bore him.

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25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
    and bitterness to the mother who bore him.(A)

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