Proverbs 1

Legacy Standard Bible

² To know ^(C)wisdom and discipline,
To understand the sayings of ^(D)understanding,
³ To ^(E)receive discipline ^[a]that leads to insight,
^(F)Righteousness, justice, and equity,
⁴ To give ^(G)prudence to the ^[b](H)simple,
To the youth ^(I)knowledge and discretion;
⁵ Let the wise man hear and ^(J)increase in learning,
And a ^(K)man of understanding will acquire guidance,
⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their ^(L)riddles.

^8 (N)Hear, my son, your father’s discipline
And ^(O)do not abandon your mother’s ^[e]instruction;
⁹ For they are a ^(P)garland of grace for your head
And ^[f](Q)ornaments about your neck.
¹⁰ My son, if sinners ^(R)entice you,
^(S)Do not be willing.
¹¹ If they say, “Come with us,
Let us ^(T)lie in wait for blood,
Let us ^(U)ambush the innocent without cause;
¹² Let us ^(V)swallow them alive like Sheol,
And whole, as those who ^(W)go down to the pit;
¹³ We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with spoil;
¹⁴ Cast in your lot ^[g]with us,
We shall all have one purse,”
¹⁵ My son, ^(X)do not walk in the way with them.
^(Y)Withhold your feet from their pathway,
¹⁶ For ^(Z)their feet run to evil
And they hasten to shed blood.
¹⁷ For it is ^[h]no use that a net is spread
In the sight of any ^[i]bird;
¹⁸ But they ^(AA)lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own ^[j]lives.
¹⁹ So are the paths of everyone who is ^(AB)greedy for gain;
It takes away the ^[k]life of its possessors.

^20 (AC)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She gives forth her voice in the square;
²¹ At the head of the noisy streets she calls out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
²² “How long, O ^(AD)simple ones, will you love simplicity?
And ^(AE)scoffers delight in scoffing
And ^[l]fools ^(AF)hate knowledge?
²³ Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will ^(AG)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
²⁴ Because ^(AH)I called and you ^(AI)refused,
I ^(AJ)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
²⁵ And you ^(AK)neglected all my counsel
And were not ^(AL)willing to accept my reproof;
²⁶ I will also ^(AM)laugh at your ^(AN)disaster;
I will mock when your ^(AO)dread comes,
²⁷ When your dread comes like a storm
And your disaster comes like a ^(AP)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸ Then they will ^(AQ)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will ^(AR)seek me earnestly but they will not find me,
²⁹ Because they ^(AS)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of Yahweh.
³⁰ They ^(AT)were not willing to accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.
³¹ So they shall ^(AU)eat of the fruit of their way
And be ^(AV)satisfied with their own devices.
³² For the ^(AW)turning away of the simple will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
³³ But ^(AX)he who listens to me shall dwell securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”