Proverbs 1
Legacy Standard Bible
To Know Wisdom
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon (B)the son of David, king of Israel:
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.
7 (M)The fear of [c]Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;
[d]Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.
The Enticement of Sinners
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.
The Call of Wisdom
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.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:3 Lit of
- Proverbs 1:4 Or naive
- Proverbs 1:7 The personal covenant name of God, a form of I AM WHO I AM, cf. Ex 3:14-15
- Proverbs 1:7 One who lacks wisdom due to negligence or carelessness; so in Prov
- Proverbs 1:8 Or law
- Proverbs 1:9 Lit necklaces
- Proverbs 1:14 Lit in the midst of us
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit in vain
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit possessor of wing
- Proverbs 1:18 Lit souls
- Proverbs 1:19 Lit soul
- Proverbs 1:22 One who fails in wisdom due to willful sin
Proverbs 1
New Living Translation
The Purpose of Proverbs
1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.
2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.
5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom
8 My child,[a] listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace
and be a chain of honor around your neck.
10 My child, if sinners entice you,
turn your back on them!
11 They may say, “Come and join us.
Let’s hide and kill someone!
Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent!
12 Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave[b];
let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death.
13 Think of the great things we’ll get!
We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take.
14 Come, throw in your lot with us;
we’ll all share the loot.”
15 My child, don’t go along with them!
Stay far away from their paths.
16 They rush to commit evil deeds.
They hurry to commit murder.
17 If a bird sees a trap being set,
it knows to stay away.
18 But these people set an ambush for themselves;
they are trying to get themselves killed.
19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;
it robs them of life.
Wisdom Shouts in the Streets
20 Wisdom shouts in the streets.
She cries out in the public square.
21 She calls to the crowds along the main street,
to those gathered in front of the city gate:
22 “How long, you simpletons,
will you insist on being simpleminded?
How long will you mockers relish your mocking?
How long will you fools hate knowledge?
23 Come and listen to my counsel.
I’ll share my heart with you
and make you wise.
24 “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come.
I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.
25 You ignored my advice
and rejected the correction I offered.
26 So I will laugh when you are in trouble!
I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone,
and anguish and distress overwhelm you.
28 “When they cry for help, I will not answer.
Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.
29 For they hated knowledge
and chose not to fear the Lord.
30 They rejected my advice
and paid no attention when I corrected them.
31 Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way,
choking on their own schemes.
32 For simpletons turn away from me—to death.
Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
33 But all who listen to me will live in peace,
untroubled by fear of harm.”
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
