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Proverbs 1-9
New International Version
Proverbs 1-9
New International Version
Purpose and Theme
1 The proverbs(A) of Solomon(B) son of David, king of Israel:(C)
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,[a](D)
knowledge and discretion(E) to the young—
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,(F)
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,(G)
the sayings and riddles(H) of the wise.[b](I)
7 The fear of the Lord(J) is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools[c] despise wisdom(K) and instruction.(L)
Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom
Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men
8 Listen, my son,(M) to your father’s(N) instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(O)
9 They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.(P)
10 My son, if sinful men entice(Q) you,
do not give in(R) to them.(S)
11 If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait(T) for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12 let’s swallow(U) them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;(V)
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
14 cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot(W)”—
15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot(X) on their paths;(Y)
16 for their feet rush into evil,(Z)
they are swift to shed blood.(AA)
17 How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
18 These men lie in wait(AB) for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!(AC)
19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.(AD)
Wisdom’s Rebuke
20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,(AE)
she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall[d] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
22 “How long will you who are simple(AF) love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate(AG) knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But since you refuse(AH) to listen when I call(AI)
and no one pays attention(AJ) when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh(AK) when disaster(AL) strikes you;
I will mock(AM) when calamity overtakes you(AN)—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster(AO) sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;(AP)
they will look for me but will not find me,(AQ)
29 since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.(AR)
30 Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,(AS)
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.(AT)
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;(AU)
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety(AV)
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”(AW)
Moral Benefits of Wisdom
2 My son,(AX) if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding(AY)—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight(AZ)
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,(BA)
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.(BB)
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;(BC)
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.(BD)
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield(BE) to those whose walk is blameless,(BF)
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.(BG)
9 Then you will understand(BH) what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,(BI)
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.(BJ)
12 Wisdom will save(BK) you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,(BL)
14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,(BM)
15 whose paths are crooked(BN)
and who are devious in their ways.(BO)
16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,(BP)
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.[e](BQ)
18 Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.(BR)
19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.(BS)
20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,(BT)
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked(BU) will be cut off from the land,(BV)
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.(BW)
Wisdom Bestows Well-Being
3 My son,(BX) do not forget my teaching,(BY)
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years(BZ)
and bring you peace and prosperity.(CA)
3 Let love and faithfulness(CB) never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.(CC)
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.(CD)
5 Trust in the Lord(CE) with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths(CF) straight.[f](CG)
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;(CH)
fear the Lord(CI) and shun evil.(CJ)
8 This will bring health to your body(CK)
and nourishment to your bones.(CL)
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits(CM) of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled(CN) to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.(CO)
11 My son,(CP) do not despise the Lord’s discipline,(CQ)
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,(CR)
as a father the son he delights in.[g](CS)
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.(CT)
15 She is more precious than rubies;(CU)
nothing you desire can compare with her.(CV)
16 Long life is in her right hand;(CW)
in her left hand are riches and honor.(CX)
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.(CY)
18 She is a tree of life(CZ) to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.(DA)
19 By wisdom(DB) the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,(DC)
by understanding he set the heavens(DD) in place;
20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son,(DE) do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,(DF)
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,(DG)
an ornament to grace your neck.(DH)
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,(DI)
and your foot will not stumble.(DJ)
24 When you lie down,(DK) you will not be afraid;(DL)
when you lie down, your sleep(DM) will be sweet.
25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the Lord will be at your side(DN)
and will keep your foot(DO) from being snared.(DP)
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.(DQ)
29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
who lives trustfully near you.(DR)
30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
when they have done you no harm.
31 Do not envy(DS) the violent
or choose any of their ways.
32 For the Lord detests the perverse(DT)
but takes the upright into his confidence.(DU)
33 The Lord’s curse(DV) is on the house of the wicked,(DW)
but he blesses the home of the righteous.(DX)
34 He mocks(DY) proud mockers(DZ)
but shows favor to the humble(EA) and oppressed.
35 The wise inherit honor,
but fools get only shame.
Get Wisdom at Any Cost
4 Listen, my sons,(EB) to a father’s instruction;(EC)
pay attention and gain understanding.(ED)
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold(EE) of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.(EF)
5 Get wisdom,(EG) get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;(EH)
love her, and she will watch over you.(EI)
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[h] wisdom.
Though it cost all(EJ) you have,[i] get understanding.(EK)
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.(EL)
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown.(EM)”
10 Listen, my son,(EN) accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.(EO)
11 I instruct(EP) you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.(EQ)
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.(ER)
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.(ES)
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.(ET)
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;(EU)
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.(EV)
18 The path of the righteous(EW) is like the morning sun,(EX)
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.(EY)
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;(EZ)
they do not know what makes them stumble.(FA)
20 My son,(FB) pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.(FC)
21 Do not let them out of your sight,(FD)
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.(FE)
23 Above all else, guard(FF) your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.(FG)
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes(FH) look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[j] paths for your feet(FI)
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;(FJ)
keep your foot from evil.
Warning Against Adultery
5 My son,(FK) pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words(FL) of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;(FM)
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,(FN)
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.(FO)
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.(FP)
7 Now then, my sons, listen(FQ) to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,(FR)
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity[k] to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.(FS)
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!(FT)
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble(FU)
in the assembly of God’s people.”(FV)
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain(FW) be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.(FX)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer(FY)—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For your ways are in full view(FZ) of the Lord,
and he examines(GA) all your paths.(GB)
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;(GC)
the cords of their sins hold them fast.(GD)
23 For lack of discipline they will die,(GE)
led astray by their own great folly.(GF)
Warnings Against Folly
6 My son,(GG) if you have put up security(GH) for your neighbor,(GI)
if you have shaken hands in pledge(GJ) for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[l]
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.(GK)
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle(GL) from the hand of the hunter,(GM)
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.(GN)
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;(GO)
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer(GP)
and gathers its food at harvest.(GQ)
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(GR)
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(GS)—
11 and poverty(GT) will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,(GU)
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,(GV)
14 who plots evil(GW) with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.(GX)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(GY)
he will suddenly(GZ) be destroyed—without remedy.(HA)
16 There are six things the Lord hates,(HB)
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,(HC)
a lying tongue,(HD)
hands that shed innocent blood,(HE)
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,(HF)
19 a false witness(HG) who pours out lies(HH)
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.(HI)
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son,(HJ) keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(HK)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.(HL)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,(HM)
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,(HN)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(HO)
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.(HP)
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps(HQ) with another man’s wife;(HR)
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,(HS)
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(HT) has no sense;(HU)
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never(HV) be wiped away.
34 For jealousy(HW) arouses a husband’s fury,(HX)
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.(HY)
Warning Against the Adulterous Woman
7 My son,(HZ) keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live;(IA)
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(IB)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and to insight, “You are my relative.”
5 They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words.(IC)
6 At the window of my house
I looked down through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth who had no sense.(ID)
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight,(IE) as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.
10 Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is unruly(IF) and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)(IG)
13 She took hold of him(IH) and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:(II)
14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering(IJ) at home.
15 So I came out to meet you;
I looked for you and have found you!
16 I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed(IK)
with myrrh,(IL) aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!(IM)
19 My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”
21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.(IN)
22 All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[m] stepping into a noose[n](IO)
23 till an arrow pierces(IP) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.(IQ)
24 Now then, my sons, listen(IR) to me;
pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways
or stray into her paths.(IS)
26 Many are the victims she has brought down;
her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave,
leading down to the chambers of death.(IT)
Wisdom’s Call
8 Does not wisdom call out?(IU)
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:(IV)
4 “To you, O people, I call out;(IW)
I raise my voice to all mankind.
5 You who are simple,(IX) gain prudence;(IY)
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.[o]
6 Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
7 My mouth speaks what is true,(IZ)
for my lips detest wickedness.
8 All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
9 To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,(JA)
11 for wisdom is more precious(JB) than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.(JC)
12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.(JD)
13 To fear the Lord(JE) is to hate evil;(JF)
I hate(JG) pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.(JH)
15 By me kings reign
and rulers(JI) issue decrees that are just;
16 by me princes govern,(JJ)
and nobles—all who rule on earth.[p]
17 I love those who love me,(JK)
and those who seek me find me.(JL)
18 With me are riches and honor,(JM)
enduring wealth and prosperity.(JN)
19 My fruit is better than fine gold;(JO)
what I yield surpasses choice silver.(JP)
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,(JQ)
along the paths of justice,
21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.(JR)
22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,[q][r]
before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;(JS)
25 before the mountains were settled in place,(JT)
before the hills, I was given birth,(JU)
26 before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.(JV)
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,(JW)
when he marked out the horizon(JX) on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above(JY)
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,(JZ)
29 when he gave the sea its boundary(KA)
so the waters would not overstep his command,(KB)
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.(KC)
30 Then I was constantly[s] at his side.(KD)
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.(KE)
32 “Now then, my children, listen(KF) to me;
blessed are(KG) those who keep my ways.(KH)
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
34 Blessed are those who listen(KI) to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
35 For those who find me(KJ) find life(KK)
and receive favor from the Lord.(KL)
36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves;(KM)
all who hate me love death.”(KN)
Invitations of Wisdom and Folly
9 Wisdom has built(KO) her house;
she has set up[t] its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;(KP)
she has also set her table.(KQ)
3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls(KR)
from the highest point of the city,(KS)
4 “Let all who are simple(KT) come to my house!”
To those who have no sense(KU) she says,
5 “Come,(KV) eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.(KW)
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;(KX)
walk in the way of insight.”(KY)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:4 The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.
- Proverbs 1:6 Or understanding a proverb, namely, a parable, / and the sayings of the wise, their riddles
- Proverbs 1:7 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient.
- Proverbs 1:21 Septuagint; Hebrew / at noisy street corners
- Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God
- Proverbs 3:6 Or will direct your paths
- Proverbs 3:12 Hebrew; Septuagint loves, / and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child
- Proverbs 4:7 Or Wisdom is supreme; therefore get
- Proverbs 4:7 Or wisdom. / Whatever else you get
- Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level
- Proverbs 5:9 Or years
- Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,
- Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
- Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Proverbs 8:5 Septuagint; Hebrew foolish, instruct your minds
- Proverbs 8:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; other Hebrew manuscripts all righteous rulers
- Proverbs 8:22 Or way; or dominion
- Proverbs 8:22 Or The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work; or The Lord brought me forth at the beginning of his work
- Proverbs 8:30 Or was the artisan; or was a little child
- Proverbs 9:1 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew has hewn out
- Proverbs 9:11 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew me
Proverbs 1-9
King James Version
Proverbs 1-9
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, and judgment, and equity;
4 To give subtilty 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 shall attain unto wise counsels:
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 lay 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 into the pit:
13 We shall find all 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; refrain 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 lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of 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 place 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 simplicity? 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 regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would 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 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, 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 be quiet from fear of evil.
2 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
3 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous.
33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
4 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
5 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
6 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
7 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
8 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.
36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
9 Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:
2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.
3 She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,
4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.
6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.
12 If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.
13 A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.
14 For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
15 To call passengers who go right on their ways:
16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
17 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.
Proverbs 1-9
New King James Version
Proverbs 1-9
New King James Version
The Beginning of Knowledge
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To [a]perceive the words of understanding,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the (B)simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
5 (C)A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will [b]attain wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their (D)riddles.
7 (E)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Shun Evil Counsel
8 (F)My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9 For they will be a (G)graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
(H)Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us (I)lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like [c]Sheol,
And whole, (J)like those who go down to the Pit;
13 We shall find all kinds of precious [d]possessions,
We shall fill our houses with [e]spoil;
14 Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—
15 My son, (K)do not walk in the way with them,
(L)Keep your foot from their path;
16 (M)For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely, in [f]vain the net is spread
In the sight of any [g]bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 (N)So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.
The Call of Wisdom
20 (O)Wisdom calls aloud [h]outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the [i]chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22 “How long, you [j]simple ones, will you love [k]simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely (P)I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 (Q)Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you (R)disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 (S)I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When (T)your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then(U) they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they (V)hated knowledge
And did not (W)choose the fear of the Lord,
30 (X)They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore (Y)they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the [l]turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell (Z)safely,
And (AA)will be [m]secure, without fear of evil.”
The Value of Wisdom
2 My son, if you receive my words,
And (AB)treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 (AC)If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 (AD)Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 (AE)For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
(AF)He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And (AG)preserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
(AH)Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To (AI)walk in the ways of darkness;
14 (AJ)Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 (AK)Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;
16 To deliver you from (AL)the immoral woman,
(AM)From the seductress who flatters with her words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18 For (AN)her house [n]leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they [o]regain the paths of life—
20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.
21 For the upright will dwell in the (AO)land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be [p]cut off from the [q]earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.
Guidance for the Young
3 My son, do not forget my law,
(AP)But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And (AQ)peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
(AR)Bind them around your neck,
(AS)Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 (AT)And so find favor and [r]high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
5 (AU)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
(AV)And lean not on your own understanding;
6 (AW)In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall [s]direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own (AX)eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your [t]flesh,
And (AY)strength[u] to your bones.
9 (AZ)Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 (BA)So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 (BB)My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
(BC)Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
13 (BD)Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
14 (BE)For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
And (BF)all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 (BG)Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
17 (BH)Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is (BI)a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who [v]retain her.
19 (BJ)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were (BK)broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul
And grace to your neck.
23 (BL)Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
25 (BM)Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.
27 (BN)Do not withhold good from [w]those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 (BO)Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.
30 (BP)Do not strive with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
31 (BQ)Do not envy the oppressor,
And choose none of his ways;
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord,
(BR)But His secret counsel is with the upright.
33 (BS)The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But (BT)He blesses the home of the just.
34 (BU)Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools.
Security in Wisdom
4 Hear, (BV)my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
2 For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
3 When I was my father’s son,
(BW)Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 (BX)He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
(BY)Keep my commands, and live.
5 (BZ)Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
(CA)Love her, and she will keep you.
7 (CB)Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
8 (CC)Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head (CD)an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
(CE)And the years of your life will be many.
11 I have (CF)taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths.
12 When you walk, (CG)your steps will not be hindered,
(CH)And when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life.
14 (CI)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of evil.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 (CJ)For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;
And their sleep is [x]taken away unless they make someone fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
18 (CK)But the path of the just (CL)is like the shining [y]sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
19 (CM)The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of (CN)life.
24 Put away from you a [z]deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
26 Ponder the path of your (CO)feet,
And let all your ways be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.
The Peril of Adultery
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
[aa]Lend your ear to my understanding,
2 That you may [ab]preserve discretion,
And your lips (CP)may keep knowledge.
3 (CQ)For the lips of [ac]an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is (CR)smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
(CS)Her steps lay hold of [ad]hell.
6 Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.
7 Therefore hear me now, my children,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
9 Lest you give your [ae]honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest aliens be filled with your [af]wealth,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you mourn at last,
When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say:
“How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was on the verge of total ruin,
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
[ag]Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with (CT)the wife of your youth.
19 (CU)As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be [ah]enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by (CV)an immoral woman,
And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?
21 (CW)For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He [ai]ponders all his paths.
22 (CX)His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 (CY)He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Dangerous Promises
6 My son, (CZ)if you become [aj]surety for your friend,
If you have [ak]shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
4 (DA)Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the [al]fowler.
The Folly of Indolence
6 (DB)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no [am]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her [an]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
9 (DC)How long will you [ao]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (DD)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
The Wicked Man
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
13 (DE)He winks with his eyes,
He [ap]shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart,
(DF)He devises evil continually,
(DG)He sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come (DH)suddenly;
Suddenly he shall (DI)be broken (DJ)without remedy.
16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to [aq]Him:
17 (DK)A[ar] proud look,
(DL)A lying tongue,
(DM)Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 (DN)A heart that devises wicked plans,
(DO)Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 (DP)A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who (DQ)sows discord among brethren.
Beware of Adultery
20 (DR)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 (DS)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 (DT)When you roam, [as]they will lead you;
When you sleep, (DU)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 (DV)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 (DW)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 (DX)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For (DY)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
(DZ)And [at]an adulteress will (EA)prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, (EB)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman (EC)lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For (ED)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will [au]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
The Wiles of a Harlot
7 My son, keep my words,
And (EE)treasure my commands within you.
2 (EF)Keep my commands and live,
(EG)And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 (EH)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 (EI)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
The Crafty Harlot
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [av]youths,
A young man (EJ)devoid[aw] of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 (EK)In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 (EL)She was loud and rebellious,
(EM)Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an [ax]impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of (EN)Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For [ay]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [az]with him,
And will come home [ba]on the appointed day.”
21 [bb]With (EO)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(EP)With her flattering lips she [bc]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [bd]as a fool to the correction of the [be]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(EQ)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [bf]would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (ER)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (ES)Her house is the way to [bg]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
The Excellence of Wisdom
8 Does not (ET)wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the [bh]high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you [bi]simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak of (EU)excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 (EV)For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
13 (EW)The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(EX)Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And (EY)the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (EZ)I have strength.
15 (FA)By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of [bj]the earth.
17 (FB)I love those who love me,
And (FC)those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 (FD)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I [bk]traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.
22 “The(FE) Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 (FF)I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 (FG)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the [bl]fields,
Or the [bm]primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 (FH)When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When (FI)He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 (FJ)Then I was beside Him as [bn]a master craftsman;
(FK)And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And (FL)my delight was with the sons of men.
32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For (FM)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 (FN)Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And (FO)obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me (FP)wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”
The Way of Wisdom
9 Wisdom has (FQ)built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 (FR)She has slaughtered her meat,
(FS)She has mixed her wine,
She has also [bo]furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
4 “Whoever(FT) is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5 “Come,(FU) eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.
7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 (FV)Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
(FW)Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, (FX)and he will increase in learning.
10 “The(FY) fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 (FZ)For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 (GA)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”
The Way of Folly
13 (GB)A foolish woman is [bp]clamorous;
She is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat (GC)by the highest places of the city,
15 To call to those who pass by,
Who go straight on their way:
16 “Whoever(GD) is [bq]simple, let him turn in here”;
And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
17 “Stolen(GE) water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that (GF)the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of [br]hell.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:2 understand or discern
- Proverbs 1:5 acquire
- Proverbs 1:12 Or the grave
- Proverbs 1:13 Lit. wealth
- Proverbs 1:13 plunder
- Proverbs 1:17 futility
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit. lord of the wing
- Proverbs 1:20 in the street
- Proverbs 1:21 LXX, Syr., Tg. top of the walls; Vg. the head of multitudes
- Proverbs 1:22 naive
- Proverbs 1:22 naivete
- Proverbs 1:32 waywardness
- Proverbs 1:33 at ease
- Proverbs 2:18 sinks
- Proverbs 2:19 Lit. reach
- Proverbs 2:22 destroyed
- Proverbs 2:22 land
- Proverbs 3:4 Lit. good understanding
- Proverbs 3:6 Or make smooth or straight
- Proverbs 3:8 Body, lit. navel
- Proverbs 3:8 Lit. drink
- Proverbs 3:18 hold her fast
- Proverbs 3:27 Lit. its owners
- Proverbs 4:16 Lit. robbed
- Proverbs 4:18 Lit. light
- Proverbs 4:24 devious
- Proverbs 5:1 Lit. Bow
- Proverbs 5:2 appreciate good judgment
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. a strange
- Proverbs 5:5 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 5:9 vigor
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. strength
- Proverbs 5:16 Channels
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit. intoxicated
- Proverbs 5:21 observes, lit. weighs
- Proverbs 6:1 guaranty or collateral
- Proverbs 6:1 Lit. struck
- Proverbs 6:5 One who catches birds in a trap or snare
- Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
- Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
- Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down
- Proverbs 6:13 gives signals, lit. scrapes
- Proverbs 6:16 Lit. His soul
- Proverbs 6:17 Lit. Haughty eyes
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it
- Proverbs 6:26 Wife of another, lit. a man’s wife
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit. lift up the face of any
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
- Proverbs 7:7 lacking
- Proverbs 7:13 shameless
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
- Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
- Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
- Proverbs 7:21 compelled
- Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
- Proverbs 7:22 shackles
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
- Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 8:2 Lit. heights
- Proverbs 8:5 naive
- Proverbs 8:16 MT, Syr., Tg., Vg. righteousness; LXX, Bg., some mss. and editions earth
- Proverbs 8:20 walk about on
- Proverbs 8:26 outer places
- Proverbs 8:26 Lit. beginning of the dust
- Proverbs 8:30 A Jewish tradition one brought up
- Proverbs 9:2 arranged
- Proverbs 9:13 boisterous
- Proverbs 9:16 naive
- Proverbs 9:18 Or Sheol
Proverbs 1-9
English Standard Version
Proverbs 1-9
English Standard Version
The Beginning of Knowledge
1 (A)The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in (B)righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to (C)the simple,
knowledge and (D)discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and (E)increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
(F)the words of the wise and their (G)riddles.
7 (H)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 (I)Hear, my son, your father's instruction,
and forsake not your mother's teaching,
9 for they are (J)a graceful garland for your head
and (K)pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners (L)entice you,
do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, (M)let us lie in wait for blood;
(N)let us ambush the innocent without reason;
12 like Sheol let us (O)swallow them alive,
and whole, like (P)those who go down to the pit;
13 we shall find all precious goods,
we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot among us;
we will all have one purse”—
15 my son, (Q)do not walk in the way with them;
(R)hold back your foot from their paths,
16 for (S)their feet run to evil,
and they make haste to shed blood.
17 (T)For in vain is a net spread
in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men (U)lie in wait for their own blood;
they (V)set an ambush for their own lives.
19 (W)Such are the ways of everyone who is (X)greedy for unjust gain;
(Y)it takes away the life of its possessors.
The Call of Wisdom
20 (Z)Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at (AA)the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O (AB)simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will (AC)scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools (AD)hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof,[a]
behold, I will (AE)pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 (AF)Because I have called and (AG)you refused to listen,
have (AH)stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have (AI)ignored all my counsel
and (AJ)would have none of my reproof,
26 I also (AK)will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when (AL)terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like (AM)a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 (AN)Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they (AO)hated knowledge
and (AP)did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 (AQ)would have none of my counsel
and (AR)despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat (AS)the fruit of their way,
and have (AT)their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by (AU)their turning away,
and (AV)the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but (AW)whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be (AX)at ease, without dread of disaster.”
The Value of Wisdom
2 (AY)My son, (AZ)if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice (BA)for understanding,
4 if you seek it like (BB)silver
and search for it as for (BC)hidden treasures,
5 then (BD)you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For (BE)the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is (BF)a shield to those who (BG)walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and (BH)watching over the way of his (BI)saints.
9 (BJ)Then you will understand (BK)righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 (BL)discretion will (BM)watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to (BN)walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who (BO)rejoice in doing evil
and (BP)delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose (BQ)paths are crooked,
(BR)and who are (BS)devious in their ways.
16 So (BT)you will be delivered from the forbidden[b] woman,
from (BU)the adulteress[c] with (BV)her smooth words,
17 who forsakes (BW)the companion of her youth
and forgets (BX)the covenant of her God;
18 (BY)for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;[d]
19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
20 So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright (BZ)will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be (CA)cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be (CB)rooted out of it.
Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart
3 (CC)My son, do not forget my teaching,
(CD)but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for (CE)length of days and years of life
and (CF)peace they will add to you.
3 Let not (CG)steadfast love and (CH)faithfulness forsake you;
(CI)bind them around your neck;
(CJ)write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will (CK)find favor and (CL)good success[e]
in the sight of God and man.
5 (CM)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and (CN)do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways (CO)acknowledge him,
and he (CP)will make straight your paths.
7 (CQ)Be not wise in your own eyes;
(CR)fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be (CS)healing to your flesh[f]
and (CT)refreshment[g] to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with (CU)the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your (CV)barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 (CW)My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as (CX)a father the son in whom he delights.
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
13 (CY)Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 (CZ)for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than (DA)gold.
15 She is more precious than (DB)jewels,
and (DC)nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 (DD)Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are (DE)riches and honor.
17 Her (DF)ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is (DG)a tree of life to those who (DH)lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19 (DI)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding (DJ)he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge (DK)the deeps broke open,
and (DL)the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, (DM)do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be (DN)life for your soul
and (DO)adornment for your neck.
23 (DP)Then you will walk on your way securely,
(DQ)and your foot will not stumble.
24 (DR)If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, (DS)your sleep will be sweet.
25 (DT)Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of (DU)the ruin[h] of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will (DV)keep your foot from being caught.
27 (DW)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,[i]
when it is in your power to do it.
28 (DX)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 (DY)Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
who (DZ)dwells trustingly beside you.
30 (EA)Do not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 (EB)Do not envy (EC)a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for (ED)the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are (EE)in his confidence.
33 (EF)The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he (EG)blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Toward the (EH)scorners he (EI)is scornful,
(EJ)but to the humble he gives favor.[j]
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but fools get[k] disgrace.
A Father's Wise Instruction
4 (EK)Hear, O sons, a father's instruction,
and be attentive, that you may (EL)gain[l] insight,
2 for I give you good (EM)precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son with my father,
(EN)tender, (EO)the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 he (EP)taught me and said to me,
(EQ)“Let your heart hold fast my words;
(ER)keep my commandments, and live.
5 (ES)Get wisdom; get (ET)insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
(EU)love her, and she will guard you.
7 (EV)The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get (EW)insight.
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will (EX)honor you (EY)if you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head (EZ)a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
10 (FA)Hear, (FB)my son, and accept my words,
that (FC)the years of your life may be many.
11 I have (FD)taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
12 When you walk, (FE)your step will not be hampered,
and (FF)if you run, you will not stumble.
13 (FG)Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your (FH)life.
14 (FI)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they (FJ)cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
(FK)and drink the wine of violence.
18 But (FL)the path of the righteous is like (FM)the light of dawn,
which shines (FN)brighter and brighter until (FO)full day.
19 (FP)The way of the wicked is like deep (FQ)darkness;
they do not know over what they (FR)stumble.
20 (FS)My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 (FT)Let them not escape from your sight;
(FU)keep them within your heart.
22 For they are (FV)life to those who find them,
and healing to all their[m] flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for (FW)from it flow (FX)the springs of life.
24 Put away from you (FY)crooked speech,
and put (FZ)devious talk far from you.
25 (GA)Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
26 (GB)Ponder[n] the path of your feet;
(GC)then all your ways will be sure.
27 (GD)Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
Warning Against Adultery
5 (GE)My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
(GF)incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep (GG)discretion,
and your lips may (GH)guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of (GI)a forbidden[o] woman drip honey,
and her speech[p] is (GJ)smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is (GK)bitter as (GL)wormwood,
(GM)sharp as (GN)a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet (GO)go down to death;
her steps follow the path to[q] Sheol;
6 she (GP)does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And (GQ)now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your (GR)labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you (GS)groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, (GT)“How I hated discipline,
and my heart (GU)despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 (GV)I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”
15 Drink (GW)water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your (GX)springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water (GY)in the streets?
17 (GZ)Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your (HA)fountain be blessed,
and (HB)rejoice in (HC)the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely (HD)deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts (HE)fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated[r] always in her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with (HF)a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of (HG)an adulteress?[s]
21 For (HH)a man's ways are (HI)before the eyes of the Lord,
and he (HJ)ponders[t] all his paths.
22 The (HK)iniquities of the wicked (HL)ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 (HM)He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is (HN)led astray.
Practical Warnings
6 My son, if you have put up (HO)security for your neighbor,
have (HP)given your pledge for a stranger,
2 if you are (HQ)snared in the words of your mouth,
caught in the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, and save yourself,
for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
go, hasten,[u] and (HR)plead urgently with your neighbor.
4 (HS)Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,[v]
(HT)like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 (HU)Go to (HV)the ant, O (HW)sluggard;
consider her ways, and (HX)be wise.
7 (HY)Without having any chief,
(HZ)officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread (IA)in summer
and (IB)gathers her food in harvest.
9 (IC)How long will you lie there, (ID)O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 (IE)A little sleep, a little slumber,
(IF)a little (IG)folding of the hands to rest,
11 (IH)and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
12 (II)A worthless person, a wicked man,
goes about with (IJ)crooked speech,
13 (IK)winks with his eyes, signals[w] with his feet,
points with his finger,
14 with (IL)perverted heart (IM)devises evil,
continually (IN)sowing discord;
15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
(IO)in a moment he will be broken (IP)beyond healing.
16 There are (IQ)six things that the Lord hates,
(IR)seven that are an abomination to him:
17 (IS)haughty eyes, (IT)a lying tongue,
and (IU)hands that shed innocent blood,
18 (IV)a heart that devises wicked plans,
(IW)feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 (IX)a false witness who (IY)breathes out lies,
and one who (IZ)sows discord among brothers.
Warnings Against Adultery
20 (JA)My son, keep your father's commandment,
(JB)and forsake not your mother's teaching.
21 (JC)Bind them on your heart always;
(JD)tie them around your neck.
22 (JE)When you walk, they[x] will lead you;
(JF)when you lie down, they will (JG)watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is (JH)a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the (JI)reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,[y]
from the smooth tongue of (JJ)the adulteress.[z]
25 (JK)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her (JL)eyelashes;
26 for (JM)the price of a prostitute is only (JN)a loaf of bread,[aa]
but a married woman[ab] (JO)hunts down a precious life.
27 Can a man carry (JP)fire next to his (JQ)chest
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one (JR)walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife;
none who touches her (JS)will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to (JT)satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but (JU)if he is caught, he will pay (JV)sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For (JW)jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when (JX)he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
Warning Against the Adulteress
7 (JY)My son, keep my words
and (JZ)treasure up my commandments with you;
2 (KA)keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as (KB)the apple of your eye;
3 (KC)bind them on your fingers;
(KD)write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from (KE)the forbidden[ac] woman,
from (KF)the adulteress[ad] with her smooth words.
6 For at (KG)the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among (KH)the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man (KI)lacking sense,
8 passing along the street (KJ)near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in (KK)the twilight, in the evening,
at (KL)the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
(KM)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[ae]
11 She is (KN)loud and (KO)wayward;
(KP)her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and (KQ)at every corner she (KR)lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with (KS)bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to (KT)offer sacrifices,[af]
and today I have (KU)paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (KV)coverings,
colored linens from (KW)Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with (KX)myrrh,
aloes, and (KY)cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For (KZ)my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with (LA)her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast[ag]
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as (LB)a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And (LC)now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are (LD)a mighty throng.
27 Her house is (LE)the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
The Blessings of Wisdom
8 Does not (LF)wisdom call?
Does not (LG)understanding raise her voice?
2 On (LH)the heights beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 beside (LI)the gates in front of (LJ)the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O (LK)men, I call,
and my cry is to (LL)the children of man.
5 O (LM)simple ones, learn (LN)prudence;
O (LO)fools, learn sense.
6 Hear, for I will speak (LP)noble things,
and from my lips will come (LQ)what is right,
7 for my (LR)mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing (LS)twisted or crooked in them.
9 They are all (LT)straight to him who understands,
and right to those who find knowledge.
10 (LU)Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 (LV)for wisdom is better than jewels,
and (LW)all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and (LX)discretion.
13 (LY)The fear of the Lord is (LZ)hatred of evil.
(MA)Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and (MB)perverted speech I hate.
14 I have (MC)counsel and (MD)sound wisdom;
I have insight; (ME)I have strength.
15 By me (MF)kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
16 by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly.[ah]
17 (MG)I love those who love me,
and (MH)those who seek me diligently find me.
18 (MI)Riches and honor are with me,
(MJ)enduring wealth and (MK)righteousness.
19 My fruit is (ML)better than (MM)gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than (MN)choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the paths of justice,
21 granting an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.
22 (MO)“The Lord (MP)possessed[ai] me at the beginning of his work,[aj]
the first of his acts (MQ)of old.
23 Ages ago I was (MR)set up,
at the first, (MS)before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were no (MT)depths I was (MU)brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains (MV)had been shaped,
(MW)before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
27 When he (MX)established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew (MY)a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he (MZ)made firm the skies above,
when he established[ak] the fountains of the deep,
29 when he (NA)assigned to the sea its (NB)limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out (NC)the foundations of the earth,
30 then (ND)I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his[al] (NE)delight,
rejoicing before him always,
31 (NF)rejoicing in his (NG)inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.
32 “And now, (NH)O sons, listen to me:
(NI)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 (NJ)Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
34 (NK)Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
35 For (NL)whoever finds me (NM)finds life
and (NN)obtains favor from the Lord,
36 but he who fails to find me (NO)injures himself;
all who (NP)hate me (NQ)love death.”
The Way of Wisdom
9 (NR)Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her (NS)seven (NT)pillars.
2 She has (NU)slaughtered her beasts; she has (NV)mixed her wine;
she has also (NW)set her table.
3 She has (NX)sent out her young women to (NY)call
from (NZ)the highest places in the town,
4 (OA)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
(OB)To him who lacks sense she says,
5 “Come, (OC)eat of my bread
and (OD)drink of (OE)the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave (OF)your simple ways,[am] and (OG)live,
(OH)and walk in the way of insight.”
7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8 (OI)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
(OJ)reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction[an] to a wise man, and he will be (OK)still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will (OL)increase in learning.
10 (OM)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and (ON)the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
11 For by me (OO)your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12 (OP)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:23 Or Will you turn away at my reproof?
- Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew foreign woman
- Proverbs 2:18 Hebrew to the Rephaim
- Proverbs 3:4 Or repute
- Proverbs 3:8 Hebrew navel
- Proverbs 3:8 Or medicine
- Proverbs 3:25 Hebrew storm
- Proverbs 3:27 Hebrew Do not withhold good from its owners
- Proverbs 3:34 Or grace
- Proverbs 3:35 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Proverbs 4:1 Hebrew know
- Proverbs 4:22 Hebrew his
- Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level
- Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew strange; also verse 20
- Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew palate
- Proverbs 5:5 Hebrew lay hold of
- Proverbs 5:19 Hebrew be led astray; also verse 20
- Proverbs 5:20 Hebrew a foreign woman
- Proverbs 5:21 Or makes level
- Proverbs 6:3 Or humble yourself
- Proverbs 6:5 Hebrew lacks of the hunter
- Proverbs 6:13 Hebrew scrapes
- Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew it; three times in this verse
- Proverbs 6:24 Revocalization (compare Septuagint) yields from the wife of a neighbor
- Proverbs 6:24 Hebrew the foreign woman
- Proverbs 6:26 Or (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate) for a prostitute leaves a man with nothing but a loaf of bread
- Proverbs 6:26 Hebrew a man's wife
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman
- Proverbs 7:10 Hebrew guarded in heart
- Proverbs 7:14 Hebrew peace offerings
- Proverbs 7:22 Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as a chain to discipline a fool
- Proverbs 8:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint govern the earth
- Proverbs 8:22 Or fathered; Septuagint created
- Proverbs 8:22 Hebrew way
- Proverbs 8:28 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Proverbs 8:30 Or daily filled with
- Proverbs 9:6 Or Leave the company of the simple
- Proverbs 9:9 Hebrew lacks instruction
Proverbs 1-9
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 1-9
New American Standard Bible
The Usefulness of Proverbs
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon (B)the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know (C)wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of (D)understanding,
3 To (E)receive instruction in wise behavior,
(F)Righteousness, justice, and integrity;
4 To give (G)prudence to the naive,
To the youth (H)knowledge and discretion,
5 A wise person will hear and (I)increase in learning,
And a (J)person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and a saying,
The words of the wise and their (K)riddles.
7 (L)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 (M)Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
And (N)do not ignore your mother’s teaching;
9 For they are a (O)graceful wreath for your head
And (P)necklaces for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners (Q)entice you,
(R)Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let’s (S)lie in wait for blood,
Let’s (T)ambush the innocent without cause;
12 Let’s (U)swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, like those who (V)go down to the pit;
13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with plunder;
14 Throw in your lot [a]with us;
We will all have one money bag,”
15 My son, (W)do not walk on the way with them.
(X)Keep your feet from their path,
16 For (Y)their feet run to evil,
And they are quick to shed blood.
17 Indeed, it is [b]useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any [c]bird;
18 But they (Z)lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who (AA)makes unjust gain;
It takes away the life of its possessors.
Wisdom Warns
20 (AB)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She [d]raises her voice in the public square;
21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:
22 “How long, you (AC)naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking?
And how long will (AD)scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools (AE)hate knowledge?
23 Turn to my rebuke,
Behold, I will (AF)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because (AG)I called and you (AH)refused,
I (AI)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you (AJ)neglected all my advice
And did not (AK)want my rebuke;
26 I will also (AL)laugh at your (AM)disaster;
I will mock when your (AN)dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your disaster comes like a (AO)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will (AP)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will (AQ)seek me diligently but will not find me,
29 Because they (AR)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 They (AS)did not accept my advice,
They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.
31 So they shall (AT)eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be (AU)filled with their own schemes.
32 For the (AV)faithlessness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But (AW)whoever listens to me will live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security
2 My son, if you will (AX)receive my words
And (AY)treasure my commandments within you,
2 (AZ)Make your ear attentive to wisdom;
Incline your heart to understanding.
3 For if you cry out for insight,
And [e]raise your voice for understanding;
4 If you seek her as (BA)silver
And search for her as for (BB)hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the (BC)fear of the Lord,
And discover the knowledge of God.
6 For (BD)the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a (BE)shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He (BF)watches over the way of His godly ones.
9 Then you will discern (BG)righteousness, justice,
And integrity, and every (BH)good path.
10 For (BI)wisdom will enter your heart,
And (BJ)knowledge will be delightful to your soul;
11 Discretion will (BK)watch over you,
Understanding will guard you,
12 To (BL)rescue you from the way of evil,
From a person who speaks (BM)perverse things;
13 From those who (BN)leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the (BO)ways of darkness;
14 Who (BP)delight in doing evil
And rejoice in the perversity of evil;
15 Whose paths are (BQ)crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;
16 To (BR)rescue you from the strange woman,
From the (BS)foreign woman who flatters with her words,
17 Who leaves the (BT)companion of her youth
And forgets the (BU)covenant of her God;
18 For (BV)her house sinks down to death,
And her tracks lead to the [f]dead;
19 None (BW)who go to her return,
Nor do they reach the (BX)paths of life.
20 So you will (BY)walk in the way of good people
And keep to the (BZ)paths of the righteous.
21 For (CA)the upright will live in the land,
And (CB)the blameless will remain in it;
22 But (CC)the wicked will be eliminated from the land,
And (CD)the treacherous will be (CE)torn away from it.
The Rewards of Wisdom
3 My son, (CF)do not forget my [g]teaching,
But have your heart (CG)comply with my commandments;
2 For (CH)length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let (CI)kindness and truth leave you;
(CJ)Bind them around your neck,
(CK)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will (CL)find favor and a (CM)good [h]reputation
In the sight of God and man.
5 (CN)Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And (CO)do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways (CP)acknowledge Him,
And He will (CQ)make your paths straight.
7 (CR)Do not be wise in your own eyes;
(CS)Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be (CT)healing to your [i]body
And (CU)refreshment to your bones.
9 (CV)Honor the Lord from your wealth,
And from the (CW)first of all your produce;
10 Then your (CX)barns will be filled with plenty,
And your (CY)vats will overflow with new wine.
11 (CZ)My son, do not reject the [j]discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His rebuke,
12 For (DA)whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
Just (DB)as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.
13 (DC)Blessed is a person who finds wisdom,
And one who obtains understanding.
14 For [k]her (DD)profit is better than the profit of silver,
And her produce better than gold.
15 She is (DE)more precious than [l]jewels,
And nothing you desire compares with her.
16 [m](DF)Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are (DG)riches and honor.
17 Her (DH)ways are pleasant ways,
And all her paths are (DI)peace.
18 She is a (DJ)tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are those who hold on to her.
19 The Lord founded the earth (DK)by wisdom,
He (DL)established the heavens by understanding.
20 By His knowledge the (DM)ocean depths were burst open,
And the (DN)clouds drip with dew.
21 My son, see that (DO)they do not escape from your sight;
Comply with sound wisdom and discretion,
22 And they will be (DP)life to your soul
And (DQ)adornment to your neck.
23 Then you will (DR)walk in your way securely,
And your foot will not (DS)stumble.
24 When you (DT)lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 (DU)Do not be afraid of sudden danger,
Nor of (DV)trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be [n]your confidence,
And will (DW)keep your foot from being caught.
27 (DX)Do not withhold good from [o]those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
28 (DY)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it to you,”
When you have it with you.
29 (DZ)Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.
30 (EA)Do not contend with a person for no reason,
If he has done you no harm.
31 (EB)Do not envy a violent person,
And do not choose any of his ways.
32 For the (EC)devious are an abomination to the Lord;
But [p]He is (ED)intimate with the upright.
33 The (EE)curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He (EF)blesses the home of the righteous.
34 Though (EG)He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet (EH)He gives grace to the needy.
35 (EI)The wise will inherit honor,
But fools [q]increase dishonor.
A Father’s Instruction
4 Listen, my sons, to the (EJ)instruction of a father,
And (EK)pay attention so that you may [r]gain understanding,
2 For I give you good (EL)teaching;
(EM)Do not abandon my [s]instruction.
3 When I was a son to my father,
(EN)Tender and (EO)the only son in the sight of my mother,
4 He (EP)taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart (EQ)take hold of my words;
(ER)Keep my commandments and live;
5 (ES)Acquire wisdom! (ET)Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not abandon her, and she will guard you;
(EU)Love her, and she will watch over you.
7 (EV)The [t]beginning of wisdom is: (EW)Acquire wisdom;
And with all your possessions, acquire understanding.
8 (EX)Prize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.
9 She will place (EY)on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty.”
10 Listen, my son, and (EZ)accept my sayings,
And the (FA)years of your life will be many.
11 I have (FB)instructed you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.
12 When you walk, your (FC)steps will not be hampered;
And if you run, you (FD)will not stumble.
13 (FE)Take hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your (FF)life.
14 (FG)Do not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil people.
15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they (FH)cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And [u]they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
17 For they (FI)eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the (FJ)path of the righteous is like the (FK)light of dawn
That (FL)shines brighter and brighter until the (FM)full day.
19 The (FN)way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they [v](FO)stumble.
20 My son, (FP)pay attention to my words;
(FQ)Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 (FR)They are not to escape from your sight;
(FS)Keep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are (FT)life to those who find them,
And (FU)healing to all [w]their body.
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For (FV)from it flow the springs of life.
24 Rid yourself of a (FW)deceitful mouth
And (FX)keep devious [x]speech far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your [y]gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
26 (FY)[z]Watch the path of your feet,
And all your (FZ)ways will be established.
27 (GA)Do not turn to the right or to the left;
(GB)Turn your foot from evil.
Pitfalls of Immorality
5 My son, (GC)pay attention to my wisdom,
(GD)Incline your ear to my understanding,
2 So that you may (GE)maintain discretion
And your (GF)lips may comply with knowledge.
3 For the lips of an [aa](GG)adulteress (GH)drip honey,
And her [ab]speech is (GI)smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is (GJ)bitter as wormwood,
(GK)Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet (GL)go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 [ac]She does not ponder the (GM)path of life;
Her ways are (GN)unstable, she (GO)does not know it.
7 (GP)Now then, my sons, listen to me
And (GQ)do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
8 (GR)Keep your way far from her,
And do not go near the (GS)door of her house,
9 Otherwise you will give your vigor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength,
And your hard-earned possessions will go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you will groan [ad]in [ae]the end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 And you say, “How I (GT)hated instruction!
And my heart (GU)disdainfully rejected rebuke!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my (GV)teachers,
Nor incline my ear to my instructors!
14 I was almost in total ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And [af]fresh water from your own well.
16 Should your (GW)springs overflow into the street,
Streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your (GX)fountain be blessed,
And (GY)rejoice in the (GZ)wife of your youth.
19 Like a loving (HA)doe and a graceful mountain goat,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be [ag]exhilarated always with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an [ah](HB)adulteress,
And embrace the breasts of a (HC)foreigner?
21 For the (HD)ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He (HE)observes all his paths.
22 His (HF)own wrongdoings will trap the wicked,
And he will be held by the ropes of his sin.
23 He will (HG)die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray.
Parental Counsel
6 My son, if you have become a (HH)guarantor for your neighbor,
Or have given a handshake for a stranger,
2 If you have been ensnared by the words of your mouth,
Or caught by the words of your mouth,
3 Then do this, my son, and save yourself:
Since you have come into the [ai]hand of your neighbor,
Go, humble yourself, and be urgent with your neighbor to free yourself.
4 Give no (HI)sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids;
5 Save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand,
And like a (HJ)bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the (HK)ant, you [aj](HL)lazy one,
Observe its ways and be wise,
7 Which, having (HM)no chief,
Officer, or ruler,
8 Prepares its food (HN)in the summer
And gathers its provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, you [ak]lazy one?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 “(HO)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to [al]rest,”
11 (HP)Then your poverty will come in like a [am]drifter,
And your need like [an]an armed man.
12 A (HQ)worthless person, a wicked man,
Is one who walks with a (HR)perverse mouth,
13 Who (HS)winks with his eyes, who [ao]signals with his feet,
Who [ap]points with his fingers;
14 Who, with (HT)perversion in his heart, continually (HU)devises evil,
Who [aq](HV)spreads strife.
15 Therefore (HW)his disaster will come suddenly;
(HX)Instantly he will be broken and there will be (HY)no healing.
16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
Seven that are an abomination [ar]to Him:
17 (HZ)Haughty eyes, a (IA)lying tongue,
And hands that (IB)shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises (IC)wicked plans,
(ID)Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A (IE)false witness who declares lies,
And one who [as](IF)spreads strife among brothers.
20 (IG)My son, comply with the commandment of your father,
And do not ignore the [at]teaching of your mother;
21 (IH)Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you (II)walk, [au]they will guide you;
When you sleep, [av]they will watch over you;
And when you awake, [aw]they will talk to you.
23 For (IJ)the commandment is a lamp and the [ax]teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
24 To (IK)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
25 (IL)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her (IM)eyelids.
26 For (IN)the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And [ay]an adulteress (IO)hunts for a precious life.
27 Can anyone take fire in his lap
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can a person walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
29 So is the one who (IP)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her (IQ)will not [az]go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
To (IR)satisfy [ba]himself when he is hungry;
31 But when he is found, he must (IS)repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
32 One who commits adultery with a woman is (IT)lacking [bb]sense;
He who would (IU)destroy [bc]himself commits it.
33 He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
34 For (IV)jealousy [bd]enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the (IW)day of vengeance.
35 He will not [be]accept any settlement,
Nor will he be [bf]satisfied though you make it a large gift.
The Lures of the Prostitute
7 My son, (IX)keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
2 (IY)Keep my commandments and live,
And my [bg]teaching (IZ)as the [bh]apple of your eye.
3 (JA)Bind them on your fingers;
(JB)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend,
5 So that they may keep you from an [bi]adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.
6 For (JC)at the window of my house
I looked out (JD)through my lattice,
7 And I saw among the (JE)naive,
And discerned among the [bj]youths
A young man (JF)lacking [bk]sense,
8 Passing through the street near (JG)her corner;
And he walks along the way to (JH)her house,
9 In the (JI)twilight, in the [bl]evening,
In the [bm]middle of the night and the darkness.
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
(JJ)Dressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.
11 She is (JK)boisterous and rebellious,
Her (JL)feet do not remain at home;
12 She is now in the streets, now (JM)in the public squares,
And (JN)lurks by every corner.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him,
[bn]And with a (JO)brazen face she says to him:
14 “[bo]I was due to offer (JP)peace offerings;
Today I have (JQ)paid my vows.
15 Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence diligently, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (JR)coverings,
With colored (JS)linens of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed
With (JT)myrrh, aloes, and (JU)cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;
Let’s delight ourselves with caresses.
19 For [bp]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey.
20 He has taken a (JV)bag of money [bq]with him.
At the full moon he will come home.”
21 With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her [br](JW)flattering lips she seduces him.
22 Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as [bs]one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a (JX)bird hurries to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 Now therefore, my sons, (JY)listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart (JZ)turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the [bt]victims she has brought to ruin,
And (KA)numerous are all those slaughtered by her.
27 Her (KB)house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.
The Commendation of Wisdom
8 Does not (KC)wisdom call,
And understanding [bu]raise her voice?
2 On top of (KD)the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 Beside the (KE)gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:
4 “To you, people, I call,
And my voice is to [bv]mankind.
5 You (KF)naive ones, understand prudence;
And, you (KG)fools, understand [bw]wisdom!
6 Listen, for I will speak (KH)noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal (KI)right things.
7 For my (KJ)mouth will proclaim truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing (KK)crooked or perverted in them.
9 They are all (KL)straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who (KM)find knowledge.
10 Accept my (KN)instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is (KO)better than [bx]jewels;
And (KP)all desirable things cannot compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, (KQ)dwell with prudence,
And I find (KR)knowledge and discretion.
13 The (KS)fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(KT)Pride, arrogance, (KU)the evil way,
And the (KV)perverted mouth, I hate.
14 (KW)Advice is mine and (KX)sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (KY)power is mine.
15 By me (KZ)kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
17 I (LA)love those who love me;
And (LB)those who diligently seek me will find me.
18 (LC)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring (LD)wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is (LE)better than gold, even pure gold;
And my yield better than (LF)choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may (LG)fill their treasuries.
22 “The Lord [by]created me (LH)at the beginning of His way,
Before His works [bz]of old.
23 From eternity I was [ca](LI)established,
From the beginning, (LJ)from the earliest times of the earth.
24 When there were no (LK)ocean depths, I was born,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
25 (LL)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was born;
26 While He had not yet made the earth and the [cb]fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27 When He (LM)established the heavens, I was there;
When (LN)He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became [cc]fixed,
29 When (LO)He set a boundary for the sea
So that the water would not violate His [cd]command,
When He marked out (LP)the foundations of the earth;
30 Then (LQ)I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was His delight daily,
[ce]Rejoicing always before Him,
31 [cf]Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having (LR)my delight in the sons of mankind.
32 “Now then, sons, (LS)listen to me,
For (LT)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 (LU)Listen to instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34 (LV)Blessed is the person who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
35 For (LW)one who finds me finds life,
And (LX)obtains favor from the Lord.
36 But one who [cg]sins against me (LY)injures himself;
All those who (LZ)hate me (MA)love death.”
Wisdom’s Invitation
9 Wisdom has (MB)built her house,
She has carved out her seven pillars;
2 She has [ch](MC)prepared her food, she has (MD)mixed her wine;
She has also (ME)set her table;
3 She has (MF)sent out her attendants, she (MG)calls out
From the (MH)tops of the heights of the city:
4 “(MI)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who (MJ)lacks [ci]understanding she says,
5 “Come, (MK)eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 [cj]Abandon your foolishness and (ML)live,
And (MM)proceed in the way of understanding.”
7 One who (MN)corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And one who rebukes a wicked person gets [ck]insults for himself.
8 (MO)Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you;
(MP)Rebuke a wise person and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser;
Teach a righteous person and he will (MQ)increase his insight.
10 The (MR)fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For (MS)by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise (MT)for yourself,
And if you (MU)scoff, you alone will [cl]suffer from it.
13 [cm]A woman of foolishness is (MV)boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding and (MW)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by (MX)the high places of the city,
15 Calling to those who pass by,
Who are going straight on their paths:
16 “(MY)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks [cn]understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
And (MZ)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the [co]dead are there,
That her guests are in the (NA)depths of Sheol.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:14 Lit in the midst of us
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit in vain
- Proverbs 1:17 Lit possessor of wing
- Proverbs 1:20 Lit gives
- Proverbs 2:3 Lit give
- Proverbs 2:18 Lit departed spirits
- Proverbs 3:1 Or law
- Proverbs 3:4 Lit understanding
- Proverbs 3:8 Lit navel
- Proverbs 3:11 Or instruction
- Proverbs 3:14 I.e., the profit from Wisdom (personified)
- Proverbs 3:15 Lit corals
- Proverbs 3:16 Lit Length of days
- Proverbs 3:26 Or at your side
- Proverbs 3:27 Lit its owners
- Proverbs 3:32 Lit His private counsel is
- Proverbs 3:35 Lit raise high
- Proverbs 4:1 Lit know
- Proverbs 4:2 Or law
- Proverbs 4:7 Or primary thing is wisdom
- Proverbs 4:16 Lit their sleep is robbed
- Proverbs 4:19 Or may stumble
- Proverbs 4:22 Lit his
- Proverbs 4:24 Or lips
- Proverbs 4:25 Or eyelids
- Proverbs 4:26 I.e., prob. stay on the path
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit palate
- Proverbs 5:6 Lit That she not watch
- Proverbs 5:11 Or at
- Proverbs 5:11 Lit your end
- Proverbs 5:15 Lit flowing
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit intoxicated
- Proverbs 5:20 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 6:3 Lit palm
- Proverbs 6:6 Lit idle one
- Proverbs 6:9 Lit idle one
- Proverbs 6:10 Lit lie down
- Proverbs 6:11 Lit one who moves about
- Proverbs 6:11 Lit a man with a shield
- Proverbs 6:13 Lit scrapes
- Proverbs 6:13 Lit instructs with
- Proverbs 6:14 Lit sends out
- Proverbs 6:16 Lit of His soul
- Proverbs 6:19 Lit sends out
- Proverbs 6:20 Or law
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:23 Or law
- Proverbs 6:26 Lit a man’s wife
- Proverbs 6:29 Lit be innocent
- Proverbs 6:30 Lit his soul
- Proverbs 6:32 Lit heart
- Proverbs 6:32 Lit his soul
- Proverbs 6:34 Lit is the rage of
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit lift up the face of any
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit willing
- Proverbs 7:2 Or law
- Proverbs 7:2 Lit pupil
- Proverbs 7:5 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit sons
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit heart
- Proverbs 7:9 Lit evening of the day
- Proverbs 7:9 Lit pupil (of the eye)
- Proverbs 7:13 Lit She makes bold her face and says
- Proverbs 7:14 Lit Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit in his hand
- Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
- Proverbs 7:22 Or as a stag goes into a trap; as in some ancient versions, Heb is uncertain
- Proverbs 7:26 Lit wounded
- Proverbs 8:1 Lit give
- Proverbs 8:4 Lit sons of mankind
- Proverbs 8:5 Lit heart
- Proverbs 8:11 Lit corals
- Proverbs 8:22 Or possessed
- Proverbs 8:22 Lit from then
- Proverbs 8:23 Or consecrated
- Proverbs 8:26 Lit outside places
- Proverbs 8:28 Lit strong
- Proverbs 8:29 Lit mouth
- Proverbs 8:30 Or Playing
- Proverbs 8:31 Or Playing
- Proverbs 8:36 Or misses me
- Proverbs 9:2 Lit slaughtered her slaughter
- Proverbs 9:4 Lit heart
- Proverbs 9:6 Or Abandon the naive
- Proverbs 9:7 Lit a blemish
- Proverbs 9:12 Lit bear
- Proverbs 9:13 Or A foolish woman
- Proverbs 9:16 Lit heart
- Proverbs 9:18 Lit departed spirits
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.