Proverbs 9
Legacy Standard Bible
Wisdom and Foolishness Call Out
9 Wisdom has (A)built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has [a](B)slaughtered her cattle, she has (C)mixed her wine;
She has also (D)prepared her table;
3 She has (E)sent out her maidens, she (F)calls
From the (G)tops of the heights of the city:
4 “(H)Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who (I)lacks a heart of wisdom she says,
5 “Come, (J)eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 [b]Forsake your simplicity and (K)live,
And (L)step into the way of understanding.”
7 He who (M)disciplines a scoffer receives disgrace for himself,
And he who reproves a wicked man receives injury for himself.
8 (N)Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you,
(O)Reprove a wise man and he will love you.
9 Give knowledge to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Make a righteous man know it and he will (P)increase his learning.
10 The (Q)fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For (R)by me your days will become many,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise (S)for yourself,
And if you (T)scoff, you alone will bear it.
13 The woman of [c]foolishness is (U)boisterous,
A woman of simplicity, and (V)does not know anything.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by (W)the high places of the city,
15 To call to those who pass by that way,
Who are making their paths straight:
16 “(X)Whoever is simple, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks a heart of wisdom she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
And (Y)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the [d]dead are there,
That those she called are in the (Z)depths of Sheol.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:2 Lit slaughtered her slaughter
- Proverbs 9:6 Or Forsake the simple ones
- Proverbs 9:13 Insolent foolishness of one who fails in wisdom due to willful sin
- Proverbs 9:18 Lit departed spirits
Proverbs 9
Common English Bible
“Woman Wisdom’s” invitation
9 Wisdom built her house;
she has carved out her seven pillars.
2 She slaughtered her animals,
mixed her wine,
and set her table.
3 She sends out her female servants; she issues an invitation
from the top of the city heights:
4 “Whoever is naive turn aside here,”
she says to those who lack sense.
5 “Come, eat my food,
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Abandon your simplistic ways and live;
walk in the way of understanding.”
Wise advice
7 Whoever instructs the cynic gets insulted;
whoever corrects the wicked gets hurt.
8 Don’t correct the impudent, or they will hate you;
correct the wise, and they will love you.
9 Teach the wise, and they will become wiser;
inform the righteous, and their learning will increase.
10 The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord;
the knowledge of the holy one is understanding.
11 Through me your days will be many;
years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, it is to your benefit;
if you are cynical, you will bear it all alone.
“Woman Folly’s” invitation
13 Woman Folly is noisy;
she’s stupid and doesn’t even know it.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
on a seat at the city heights.
15 She invites those who pass by on the path,
those going straight on their way.
16 “Whoever is naive, come in here,”
she says to those who lack sense.
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But they don’t know that the dead are there;
her guests are in the depths of the grave.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:18 Heb Sheol
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