Proverbs 1
International Standard Version
Introduction and Purpose
1 The proverbs of David’s son Solomon, king of Israel.
2 These proverbs are[a] for gaining[b] wisdom and discipline;[c]
for understanding words of insight;
3 for acquiring the discipline[d] that produces wise behavior,
righteousness, justice, and upright living;[e]
4 for giving prudence to the naïve,
and knowledge and discretion to the young.
5 Let the wise listen and increase their[f] learning;
let the person of understanding receive guidance
6 in understanding proverbs, clever sayings,
words of the wise, and their riddles.
The Major Theme
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.[g]
The Minor Theme
8 My son, listen to your father’s instruction,
and do not let go of your mother’s teaching.
9 They will be a graceful wreath for your head
and a chain for your neck.
Avoid Evil Counsel
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us!
Let’s lie in wait for blood;
let’s ambush some innocent person for no reason at all.
12 Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol,[h]
and whole like those who go down into the Pit.[i]
13 We’ll find all kinds of valuable wealth,
and we’ll fill our houses with spoil.
14 Throw your lot in with us,
and all of us will have one purse.”
15 My son, do not go along with them,[j]
and keep your feet away from their paths!
16 For they[k] run toward evil;
these enticers[l] shed blood without hesitation.[m]
17 Look, it is useless to spread a net in full view of[n] all the birds,
18 but these people[o] lie in wait for their own blood.[p]
They ambush only themselves.
19 Such is the way of all those who seek illicit gain—
it takes away the lives of those who possess it.
The Benefits of Choosing Wisdom
20 Wisdom cries out in the street;
she raises her voice in the public squares.
21 She calls out at the busiest part[q] of the noisy streets,[r]
and at the entrance to the gates of the city she utters her words:
22 “You naïve ones, how long will you love naiveté?
And how long will scoffers delight in scoffing
or fools hate knowledge?”
23 Return to my correction!
Look, I will pour out my spirit on you,
and I will make my words known to you.
The Consequences of Refusing Wisdom
24 “Because I called out to you and you refused to respond—[s]
I appealed,[t] but no one paid attention—
25 because[u] you neglected all my advice
and did not want my correction,
26 I will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock when what you fear[v] comes,
27 when what you dread comes like a storm,
and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call out to me,
but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently,
but they will not find me.
29 “Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord;
30 they did not want my advice,
and they rejected all my correction.
31 They will eat the fruit[w] of their way,
and they will be filled with their own devices.
32 Indeed, the waywardness[x] of the naïve will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 “But the person who listens to me will live safely
and will be secure from the fear of evil.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:2 The Heb. lacks These proverbs are
- Proverbs 1:2 Or knowing
- Proverbs 1:2 Or instruction
- Proverbs 1:3 Or instruction
- Proverbs 1:3 Lit. and uprightness
- Proverbs 1:5 The Heb. lacks their
- Proverbs 1:7 Or instruction
- Proverbs 1:12 I.e. the realm of the dead; possibly an allusion to the rebellion of Korah (cf. Num 16:33)
- Proverbs 1:12 I.e. the place of punishment in the afterlife
- Proverbs 1:15 Lit. in the way with them
- Proverbs 1:16 Lit. For their feet
- Proverbs 1:16 Lit. they
- Proverbs 1:16 Lit. blood quickly
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit. in the eyes of
- Proverbs 1:18 Lit. they
- Proverbs 1:18 The Heb. lacks their own
- Proverbs 1:21 Lit. head
- Proverbs 1:21 So MT; LXX Syr Targ read and on top of the walls
- Proverbs 1:24 Lit. you refused
- Proverbs 1:24 Lit. I stretched out my hand
- Proverbs 1:25 The Heb. lacks because
- Proverbs 1:26 Lit. when your fear
- Proverbs 1:31 I.e. experience the consequences
- Proverbs 1:32 So MT; DSS 4QProva reads narrow-mindedness; lit. the pull of; LXX reads Because they would wrong the naïve, they will be murdered
Proverbs 1
Lexham English Bible
Prologue
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand sayings of understanding,
3 to gain insightful instruction,[a]
righteousness and justice and equity,
4 to give shrewdness[b] to the simple,
knowledge and purpose[c] to the young,
5 may the wise hear and increase learning,
and the one who understands gain direction,[d]
6 to understand a proverb and an expression,
words of wisdom and their riddles.
7 Fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;
wisdom and instruction, fools despise.
Lecture Against Gang Behavior
8 My child, may you keep[e] your father’s instruction,
and do not reject your mother’s teachings,
9 for they are a garland of favor for your head,
and pendants for your neck.
10 My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
11 If they say,
“Come with us!
We shall lie in wait for blood;
we shall ambush the innocent without cause.[f]
12 Like Sheol,[g] we will swallow them alive
and whole, like those who descend to the pit.[h]
13 We shall find all precious wealth,
we shall fill our houses with booty,
14 you shall throw your lot in our midst,
there will be one purse for all of us.”
15 My child, do not walk in their way.[i]
Keep your foot from their paths,
16 for their feet run to evil,
and they hurry to shed blood,
17 for “in vain[j] is the net scattered,
in the sight of any winged bird.”[k]
18 They lie in wait for their own blood.
They ambush their own lives.
19 Thus are the ways of all who are greedy for gain—
it will take the life of its possessors.
The Call of Lady Wisdom
20 Wisdom calls out in the streets,
in the squares she raises her voice.
21 On a busy corner[l] she cries out,
at the entrances of the gates in the city, she speaks her sayings:
22 “How long,[m] O simple ones, will you love simplicity?
And how long will scoffers delight in their scoffing,
and fools hate knowledge?
23 May you turn to my argument![n]
Behold, I shall pour out my spirit upon you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I called out and you refused me,
I stretched out my hand, yet there is none who heeds.
25 You have ignored all my counsel,
and my reproof you are not willing to accept.
26 I will also laugh at your calamity;[o]
I will mock when panic[p] comes upon you.
27 When your panic comes like a storm,
and your calamity arrives like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you,
28 then they will call[q] me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge,
and did not choose the fear of Yahweh,
30 they were not willing to accept my counsel,
they despised all my reproof.
31 They shall eat from the fruit of their way,
and they shall be sated from their own schemes,
32 for the waywardness of the simple ones will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 Whoever listens to me will dwell in security
and rest securely[r] from dread and disaster.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:3 Literally “the instruction of insight”
- Proverbs 1:4 Or “cleverness,” or “prudence”
- Proverbs 1:4 Or “plan”
- Proverbs 1:5 Or “guidance”
- Proverbs 1:8 Or “obey,” or “hear”
- Proverbs 1:11 Or “wantonly,” or “for nothing”
- Proverbs 1:12 A term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the Underworld
- Proverbs 1:12 Literally “like the descenders of a pit”
- Proverbs 1:15 Or “on their road”
- Proverbs 1:17 Or “without cause,” or “for nothing”
- Proverbs 1:17 Literally “bird of wing”
- Proverbs 1:21 Literally “head of commotion,” or “head of stirring, bustling”
- Proverbs 1:22 Literally “Until when”
- Proverbs 1:23 Or “turn at my reproach”
- Proverbs 1:26 Or “downfall”
- Proverbs 1:26 Or “dread, fear”
- Proverbs 1:28 Or “cry out to”
- Proverbs 1:33 Or “be at ease, peace”
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