Proverbs 1
Modern English Version
The Purpose and Theme
1 The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to perceive the words of understanding,
3 to receive the instruction of wisdom,
justice, judgment, and equity;
4 to give subtlety to the simple,
to the young man knowledge and discretion—
5 a wise man will hear and will increase learning,
and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
6 to understand a proverb and the interpretation,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Prologue: Embrace Wisdom
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
and do not forsake the teaching of your mother;
9 for they will be a garland of grace on your head,
and chains about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
let us lie in wait for blood;
let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 let us swallow them up alive as the grave,
and whole, as those who go down into the pit;
13 we will find all kinds of precious possessions;
we will fill our houses with spoil;
14 cast in your lot among us,
let us all have one purse”—
15 my son, do not walk in the way with them,
keep your foot from their path;
16 for their feet run to evil
and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread
in the sight of any bird.
18 They lie in wait for their own blood;
they lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy of gain,
which takes away the life of its owners.
The Call of Wisdom
20 Wisdom cries out in the street;
she utters her voice in the markets.
21 She cries at the corner of the streets, in the openings of the gates;
she speaks her words in the city, saying:
22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For the scorners delight in their scorning,
and fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my reproof;
surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded,
25 because you neglected all my counsel,
and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your fear comes,
27 when your fear comes as desolation
and your destruction comes as a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me early, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 they would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
and the prosperity of fools will destroy them.
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
and will be secure from fear of evil.”
Proverbs 1
21st Century King James Version
1 The Proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity;
4 to give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 A wise man will hear and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsel
6 to understand a proverb and the interpretation, the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother;
9 for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, “Come with us; let us lie in wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;
12 let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those that go down to the pit;
13 we shall find much precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse”
15 my son, walk not thou in the way with them; restrain thy foot from their path;
16 for their feet run to evil and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird!
18 And they lie in wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy for gain, which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets.
21 She crieth in the chief places of concourse, in the openings of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
22 “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love to be simple, and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you; I will make known my words unto you.
24 “Because I have called and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand and no man heeded,
25 but ye have set at nought all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh,
27 when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me,
29 because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 They would have none of my counsel, and they despised all my reproof:
31 therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own ways, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them;
33 but whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall have quiet from fear of evil.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.