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”
Proverbs 1
New American Standard Bible
The Usefulness of Proverbs
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon (B)the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know (C)wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of (D)understanding,
3 To (E)receive instruction in wise behavior,
(F)Righteousness, justice, and integrity;
4 To give (G)prudence to the naive,
To the youth (H)knowledge and discretion,
5 A wise person will hear and (I)increase in learning,
And a (J)person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and a saying,
The words of the wise and their (K)riddles.
7 (L)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 (M)Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
And (N)do not ignore your mother’s teaching;
9 For they are a (O)graceful wreath for your head
And (P)necklaces for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners (Q)entice you,
(R)Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let’s (S)lie in wait for blood,
Let’s (T)ambush the innocent without cause;
12 Let’s (U)swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, like those who (V)go down to the pit;
13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with plunder;
14 Throw in your lot [a]with us;
We will all have one money bag,”
15 My son, (W)do not walk on the way with them.
(X)Keep your feet from their path,
16 For (Y)their feet run to evil,
And they are quick to shed blood.
17 Indeed, it is [b]useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any [c]bird;
18 But they (Z)lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who (AA)makes unjust gain;
It takes away the life of its possessors.
Wisdom Warns
20 (AB)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She [d]raises her voice in the public square;
21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:
22 “How long, you (AC)naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking?
And how long will (AD)scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools (AE)hate knowledge?
23 Turn to my rebuke,
Behold, I will (AF)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because (AG)I called and you (AH)refused,
I (AI)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you (AJ)neglected all my advice
And did not (AK)want my rebuke;
26 I will also (AL)laugh at your (AM)disaster;
I will mock when your (AN)dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your disaster comes like a (AO)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will (AP)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will (AQ)seek me diligently but will not find me,
29 Because they (AR)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 They (AS)did not accept my advice,
They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.
31 So they shall (AT)eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be (AU)filled with their own schemes.
32 For the (AV)faithlessness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But (AW)whoever listens to me will live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:14 Lit in the midst of us
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit in vain
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit possessor of wing
- Proverbs 1:20 Lit gives
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