To give prudence to the (A)simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—

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To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion:

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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 (A)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 (B)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.

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21 My son, let them not 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 securely,
And [a]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 [b]desolation of the wicked, when it cometh:
26 For Jehovah will be thy confidence,
And will keep thy foot from being taken.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:23 Hebrew thou shalt not dash thy foot.
  2. Proverbs 3:25 Or, storm

Security in Wisdom

Hear, (A)my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
When I was my father’s son,
(B)Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
(C)He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
(D)Keep my commands, and live.
(E)Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
(F)Love her, and she will keep you.
(G)Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.

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Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father,
And attend to know understanding:
For I give you good doctrine;
Forsake ye not my [a]law.
For I was a son unto my father,
Tender and [b]only beloved in the sight of my mother.
And he taught me, and said unto me:
Let thy heart retain my words;
Keep my commandments, and live;
Get wisdom, get understanding;
Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth;
Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee;
Love her, and she will keep thee.
[c]Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom;
Yea, with all [d]thy getting get understanding.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 4:2 Or, teaching
  2. Proverbs 4:3 Hebrew an only one.
  3. Proverbs 4:7 Or, The beginning of wisdom is, Get wisdom
  4. Proverbs 4:7 Or, thou hast gotten

The Peril of Adultery

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
[a]Lend your ear to my understanding,
That you may [b]preserve discretion,
And your lips (A)may keep knowledge.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:1 Lit. Bow
  2. Proverbs 5:2 appreciate good judgment

My son, attend unto my wisdom;
Incline thine ear to my understanding:
That thou mayest preserve discretion,
And that thy lips may keep knowledge.

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The Way of Wisdom

Wisdom has (A)built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
(B)She has slaughtered her meat,
(C)She has mixed her wine,
She has also [a]furnished her table.
She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
“Whoever(D) is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
“Come,(E) eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:2 arranged

Wisdom hath builded her house;
She hath hewn out her seven pillars:
She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine;
She hath also furnished her table:
She hath sent forth her maidens;
She crieth upon the highest places of the city:
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:
As for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,
Come, eat ye of my bread,
And drink of the wine which I have mingled.
[a]Leave off, ye simple ones, and live;
And walk in the way of understanding.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:6 Or, Forsake the simple

10 “The(A) fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

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10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom;
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

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The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.

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The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way;
But the folly of fools is deceit.

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15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.

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15 The simple believeth every word;
But the prudent man looketh well to his going.

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(A)The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

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The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness;
But every one that is hasty hasteth only to want.

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A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are (A)punished.

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A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself;
But the simple pass on, and [a]suffer for it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:3 Hebrew are mulcted.

23 (A)Buy the truth, and do not sell it,
Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

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23 Buy the truth, and sell it not;
Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

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12 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are (A)punished.

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12 A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself;
But the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

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