Proverbs 1-3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Purpose of Proverbs
1 The proverbs of Solomon(A) son of David, king of Israel:
2 For learning what wisdom and discipline are;
for understanding insightful sayings;
3 for receiving wise instruction
in righteousness, justice, and integrity;(B)
4 for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced,[a](C)
knowledge and discretion(D) to a young man—
5 a wise man will listen and increase his learning,(E)
and a discerning man will obtain guidance—
6 for understanding a proverb or a parable,[b]
the words of the wise, and their riddles.(F)
Avoid the Path of the Violent
8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching,(I)
9 for they will be a garland(J) of grace on your head
and a gold chain around your neck.(K)
10 My son, if sinners entice you,(L)
don’t be persuaded.(M)
11 If they say—“Come with us!
Let’s set an ambush(N) and kill someone.[c]
Let’s attack some innocent person(O) just for fun![d]
12 Let’s swallow them alive,(P) like Sheol,
still healthy as they go down to the Pit.(Q)
13 We’ll find all kinds of valuable property
and fill our houses with plunder.(R)
14 Throw in your lot with us,
and we’ll all share our money”[e]—
15 my son, don’t travel that road with them(S)
or set foot on their path,(T)
16 because their feet run toward trouble
and they hurry to commit murder.[f](U)
17 It is foolish to spread a net
where any bird can see it,
18 but they set an ambush to kill themselves;[g]
they attack their own lives.
19 Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly;(V)
it takes the lives of those who receive it.[h]
Wisdom’s Plea
20 Wisdom calls out in the street;
she raises her voice in the public squares.(W)
21 She cries out above[i] the commotion;
she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:
22 “How long, foolish ones, will you love ignorance?
How long will you mockers(X) enjoy mocking
and you fools hate knowledge?(Y)
23 If you respond to my warning,[j](Z)
then I will pour out my spirit on you(AA)
and teach you my words.
24 Since I called out and you refused,(AB)
extended my hand and no one paid attention,(AC)
25 since you neglected all my counsel(AD)
and did not accept my correction,
26 I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.(AE)
I will mock when terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when trouble and stress overcome you.
28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;
they will search for me, but won’t find me.(AF)
29 Because they hated knowledge,
didn’t choose to fear the Lord,(AG)
30 were not interested in my counsel,
and rejected all my correction,(AH)
31 they will eat the fruit of their way(AI)
and be glutted with their own schemes.(AJ)
32 For the turning away of the inexperienced will kill them,(AK)
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But whoever listens to me will live securely
and be free from the fear of danger.”(AL)
Wisdom’s Worth
2 My son, if you accept my words(AM)
and store up my commands within you,
2 listening closely[k] to wisdom
and directing your heart to understanding;
3 furthermore, if you call out to insight
and lift your voice to understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it like hidden treasure,(AN)
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and discover the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.(AO)
7 He stores up success[l] for the upright;
He is a shield for those who live with integrity(AP)
8 so that He may guard the paths of justice
and protect the way of His loyal followers.(AQ)
9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice,
and integrity—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your mind,
and knowledge will delight your heart.
11 Discretion will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you,(AR)
12 rescuing you from the way of evil—
from the one who says perverse things,
13 from those who abandon the right paths
to walk in ways of darkness,(AS)
14 from those who enjoy doing evil(AT)
and celebrate perversion,
15 whose paths are crooked,(AU)
and whose ways are devious.(AV)
16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,(AW)
from a stranger[m] with her flattering talk,(AX)
17 who abandons the companion of her youth(AY)
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death
and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.(AZ)
19 None return who go to her;
none reach the paths of life.(BA)
20 So follow the way of good people,(BB)
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those of integrity will remain in it;(BC)
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,(BD)
and the treacherous uprooted from it.(BE)
Trust the Lord
3 My son, don’t forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commands;(BF)
2 for they will bring you
many days, a full life,[n](BG) and well-being.(BH)
3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you.
Tie them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(BI)
4 Then you will find favor and high regard
in the sight of God and man.(BJ)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,(BK)
and do not rely on your own understanding;(BL)
6 think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.[o](BM)
7 Don’t consider yourself to be wise;(BN)
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.(BO)
8 This will be healing for your body[p](BP)
and strengthening for your bones.(BQ)
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions
and with the first produce of your entire harvest;(BR)
10 then your barns will be completely filled,
and your vats will overflow with new wine.(BS)
11 Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son,
and do not loathe His discipline;(BT)
12 for the Lord disciplines the one He loves,
just as a father, the son he delights in.(BU)
Wisdom Brings Happiness
13 Happy is a man who finds wisdom(BV)
and who acquires understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver,
and her revenue is better than gold.(BW)
15 She is more precious than jewels;(BX)
nothing you desire compares with her.(BY)
16 Long life[q] is in her right hand;
in her left, riches and honor.(BZ)
17 Her ways are pleasant,(CA)
and all her paths, peaceful.
18 She is a tree of life(CB) to those who embrace her,
and those who hold on to her are happy.
19 The Lord founded the earth by wisdom(CC)
and established the heavens by understanding.
20 By His knowledge the watery depths broke open,(CD)
and the clouds dripped with dew.(CE)
21 Maintain your competence and discretion.
My son, don’t lose sight of them.(CF)
22 They will be life for you[r][s](CG)
and adornment[t] for your neck.
23 Then you will go safely on your way;
your foot will not stumble.(CH)
24 When you lie[u] down, you will not be afraid;(CI)
you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant.
25 Don’t fear sudden danger
or the ruin of the wicked when it comes,(CJ)
26 for the Lord will be your confidence[v]
and will keep your foot from a snare.(CK)
Treat Others Fairly
27 When it is in your power,[w]
don’t withhold good(CL) from the one it belongs to.
28 Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go away! Come back later.
I’ll give it tomorrow”—when it is there with you.(CM)
29 Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor,(CN)
for he trusts you and lives near you.
30 Don’t accuse anyone without cause,(CO)
when he has done you no harm.
31 Don’t envy a violent man(CP)
or choose any of his ways;
32 for the devious are detestable to the Lord,
but He is a friend[x] to the upright.(CQ)
33 The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked,(CR)
but He blesses the home of the righteous;
34 He mocks those who mock,
but gives grace to the humble.(CS)
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but He holds up fools to dishonor.[y]
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 1:4 Or simple, or gullible
- Proverbs 1:6 Or an enigma
- Proverbs 1:11 Lit Let’s ambush for blood
- Proverbs 1:11 Lit person for no reason
- Proverbs 1:14 Lit us; one bag will be for all of us
- Proverbs 1:16 Lit to shed blood
- Proverbs 1:18 Lit they ambush for their blood
- Proverbs 1:19 Lit takes the life of its masters
- Proverbs 1:21 Lit at the head of
- Proverbs 1:23 Lit back to my reprimand
- Proverbs 2:2 Lit you, stretching out your ear
- Proverbs 2:7 Or resourcefulness
- Proverbs 2:16 Or foreign woman
- Proverbs 3:2 Lit days, years of life
- Proverbs 3:6 Lit will make your paths straight
- Proverbs 3:8 Lit navel
- Proverbs 3:16 Lit Length of days
- Proverbs 3:22 Or be your throat
- Proverbs 3:22 In Hb, nephesh can mean throat, soul, or life.
- Proverbs 3:22 Or grace
- Proverbs 3:24 LXX reads sit
- Proverbs 3:26 Or be at your side
- Proverbs 3:27 Lit in the power of your hands
- Proverbs 3:32 Or confidential counsel
- Proverbs 3:35 Or but haughty fools dishonor, or but fools exalt dishonor
Proverbs 6
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Financial Entanglements
6 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor[a]
or entered into an agreement with[b] a stranger,[c](A)
2 you have been trapped by the words of your lips[d]—
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 Do this, then, my son, and free yourself,
for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power:
Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.
4 Don’t give sleep to your eyes
or slumber to your eyelids.(B)
5 Escape like a gazelle from a hunter,[e]
like a bird from a fowler’s trap.[f](C)
Laziness
6 Go to the ant,(D) you slacker!(E)
Observe its ways and become wise.
7 Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food during harvest.(F)
9 How long will you stay in bed, you slacker?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,(G)
11 and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.(H)
The Malicious Man
12 A worthless person,(I) a wicked man
goes around speaking dishonestly,(J)
13 winking(K) his eyes, signaling with his feet,
and gesturing with his fingers.
14 He always plots evil(L) with perversity in his heart—
he stirs up trouble.(M)
15 Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly;
he will be shattered instantly—beyond recovery.(N)
What the Lord Hates
16 The Lord hates six things;
in fact, seven are detestable to Him:
17 arrogant eyes,(O) a lying tongue,(P)
hands that shed innocent blood,(Q)
18 a heart that plots wicked schemes,(R)
feet eager to run to evil,(S)
19 a lying witness who gives false testimony,(T)
and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.(U)
Warning against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.(V)
21 Always bind them to your heart;
tie them around your neck.(W)
22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23 For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,(X)
and corrective discipline is the way to life.(Y)
24 They will protect you from an evil woman,[g]
from the flattering[h] tongue of a stranger.(Z)
25 Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty(AA)
or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.(AB)
26 For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[i]
but an adulteress[j] goes after a precious life.(AC)
27 Can a man embrace fire[k]
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on burning coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So it is with the one who sleeps with
another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.(AD)
30 People don’t despise the thief if he steals
to satisfy himself when he is hungry.(AE)
31 Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much;(AF)
he must give up all the wealth in his house.
32 The one who commits adultery[l] lacks sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.(AG)
33 He will get a beating[m] and dishonor,
and his disgrace will never be removed.
34 For jealousy enrages a husband,(AH)
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not be appeased by anything
or be persuaded by lavish gifts.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 6:1 Or friend
- Proverbs 6:1 Lit or shaken hands for or with
- Proverbs 6:1 The Hb word for stranger can refer to a foreigner, an Israelite outside one’s family, or simply to another person.
- Proverbs 6:2 Lit mouth
- Proverbs 6:5 Lit hand
- Proverbs 6:5 Lit hand
- Proverbs 6:24 LXX reads from a married woman
- Proverbs 6:24 Lit smooth
- Proverbs 6:26 Or On account of a prostitute, [one is left with] only a loaf of bread
- Proverbs 6:26 Lit but a wife of a man
- Proverbs 6:27 Lit man take fire to his bosom
- Proverbs 6:32 Lit commits adultery with a woman
- Proverbs 6:33 Or plague
Proverbs 20-21
Holman Christian Standard Bible
20 Wine is a mocker,(A) beer is a brawler,
and whoever staggers because of them is not wise.
2 A king’s terrible wrath is like the roaring of a lion;
anyone who provokes him endangers himself.(B)
4 The slacker does not plow during planting season;[a]
at harvest time he looks,[b] and there is nothing.(E)
5 Counsel in a man’s heart is deep water;(F)
but a man of understanding draws it out.
6 Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,
but who can find a trustworthy man?(G)
7 The one who lives with integrity is righteous;(H)
his children[c] who come after him will be happy.(I)
8 A king sitting on a throne to judge
sifts out all evil with his eyes.(J)
9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
I am cleansed from my sin”?(K)
11 Even a young man is known by his actions—
if his behavior is pure and upright.(M)
12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye—
the Lord made them both.(N)
13 Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor;
open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat.(O)
14 “It’s worthless, it’s worthless!” the buyer says,
but after he is on his way, he gloats.
15 There is gold and a multitude of jewels,
but knowledgeable lips are a rare treasure.(P)
16 Take his garment,[e]
for he has put up security for a stranger;
get collateral if it is for foreigners.(Q)
17 Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man,(R)
but afterward his mouth is full of gravel.
21 An inheritance gained prematurely
will not be blessed ultimately.(Y)
24 A man’s steps are determined by the Lord,(AE)
so how can anyone understand his own way?
25 It is a trap for anyone to dedicate something rashly
and later to reconsider his vows.(AF)
28 Loyalty and faithfulness deliver a king;
through loyalty he maintains his throne.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
and the splendor of old men is gray hair.(AJ)
21 A king’s heart is like streams of water in the Lord’s hand:
He directs it wherever He chooses.(AL)
3 Doing what is righteous and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.(AN)
5 The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit,
but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.(AP)
7 The violence of the wicked sweeps them away
because they refuse to act justly.
9 Better to live on the corner of a roof
than to share a house with a nagging wife.(AT)
11 When a mocker is punished,
the inexperienced become wiser;
when one teaches a wise man,
he acquires knowledge.(AV)
12 The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked;
He brings the wicked to ruin.
13 The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
will himself also call out and not be answered.(AW)
15 Justice executed is a joy to the righteous
but a terror to those who practice iniquity.(AY)
16 The man who strays from the way of wisdom
will come to rest
in the assembly of the departed spirits.(AZ)
17 The one who loves pleasure will become a poor man;
whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich.(BA)
19 Better to live in a wilderness
than with a nagging and hot-tempered wife.(BC)
20 Precious treasure and oil are in the dwelling of a wise person,
but a foolish man consumes them.[r](BD)
21 The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love
will find life, righteousness, and honor.(BE)
22 A wise person went up against a city of warriors
and brought down its secure fortress.(BF)
23 The one who guards his mouth and tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.(BG)
24 The proud and arrogant person, named “Mocker,”
acts with excessive pride.(BH)
25 A slacker’s craving will kill him
because his hands refuse to work.(BI)
26 He is filled with craving[s] all day long,
but the righteous give and don’t hold back.(BJ)
27 The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable—
how much more so
when he brings it with ulterior motives!(BK)
28 A lying witness will perish,(BL)
but the one who listens will speak successfully.
29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,(BM)
but the upright man considers his way.
30 No wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel
will prevail against the Lord.(BN)
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 20:4 Lit plow in winter
- Proverbs 20:4 Lit inquires
- Proverbs 20:7 Lit sons
- Proverbs 20:10 Lit Stone and stone, measure and measure
- Proverbs 20:16 A debtor’s outer garment was held as collateral.
- Proverbs 20:23 Lit A stone and a stone
- Proverbs 20:27 Lit breath
- Proverbs 20:27 Lit the chambers of the belly
- Proverbs 20:30 Lit beatings the chambers of the belly
- Proverbs 21:2 Lit Lord weighs the hearts
- Proverbs 21:4 Some Hb mss, ancient versions read tillage
- Proverbs 21:6 Or a breath blown away
- Proverbs 21:6 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg read a snare of death
- Proverbs 21:6 Lit is vanity, ones seeking death
- Proverbs 21:10 Or favor
- Proverbs 21:14 Lit a bribe in the bosom
- Proverbs 21:18 Or in place of
- Proverbs 21:20 Lit it
- Proverbs 21:26 Lit He craves a craving
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
