Shun Evil Counsel

(A)My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;

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Lecture Against Gang Behavior

My child, may you keep[a] your father’s instruction,
    and do not reject your mother’s teachings,

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 1:8 Or “obey,” or “hear”

The Call of Wisdom

20 (A)Wisdom calls aloud [a]outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the [b]chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22 “How long, you [c]simple ones, will you love [d]simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely (B)I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 (C)Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you (D)disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 (E)I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When (F)your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 “Then(G) they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they (H)hated knowledge
And did not (I)choose the fear of the Lord,
30 (J)They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore (K)they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the [e]turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell (L)safely,
And (M)will be [f]secure, without fear of evil.”

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 1:20 in the street
  2. Proverbs 1:21 LXX, Syr., Tg. top of the walls; Vg. the head of multitudes
  3. Proverbs 1:22 naive
  4. Proverbs 1:22 naivete
  5. Proverbs 1:32 waywardness
  6. Proverbs 1:33 at ease

The Call of Lady Wisdom

20 Wisdom calls out in the streets,
    in the squares she raises her voice.
21 On a busy corner[a] she cries out,
    at the entrances of the gates in the city, she speaks her sayings:
22 How long,[b] O simple ones, will you love simplicity?
    And how long will scoffers delight in their scoffing,
    and fools hate knowledge?
23 May you turn to my argument![c]
    Behold, I shall pour out my spirit upon you;
    I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I called out and you refused me,
    I stretched out my hand, yet there is none who heeds.
25 You have ignored all my counsel,
    and my reproof you are not willing to accept.
26 I will also laugh at your calamity;[d]
    I will mock when panic[e] comes upon you.
27 When your panic comes like a storm,
    and your calamity arrives like a whirlwind,
    when distress and anguish come upon you,
28 then they will call[f] me, but I will not answer;
    they will seek me diligently but not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge,
    and did not choose the fear of Yahweh,
30 they were not willing to accept my counsel,
    they despised all my reproof.
31 They shall eat from the fruit of their way,
    and they shall be sated from their own schemes,
32 for the waywardness of the simple ones will kill them,
    and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 Whoever listens to me will dwell in security
    and rest securely[g] from dread and disaster.”

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 1:21 Literally “head of commotion,” or “head of stirring, bustling”
  2. Proverbs 1:22 Literally “Until when”
  3. Proverbs 1:23 Or “turn at my reproach”
  4. Proverbs 1:26 Or “downfall”
  5. Proverbs 1:26 Or “dread, fear”
  6. Proverbs 1:28 Or “cry out to
  7. Proverbs 1:33 Or “be at ease, peace”

11 (A)My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
(B)Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

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Happy Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

11 Do not despise the discipline of Yahweh, my child.
    Do not be weary of his reproof
12 because whomever Yahweh will love, he will rebuke,
    as a father delights in his son.

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Security in Wisdom

Hear, (A)my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;

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The Father’s Wisdom

Children, listen to the instruction of a father,
    and be attentive in order to know insight.

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“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
(A)Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
(B)Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

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He who corrects a scoffer gains abuse for himself,
    and he who rebukes the wicked gets hurt.[a]
Do not rebuke a scoffer, lest he hate you;
    rebuke the wise and he will love you.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:7 Literally “abuse him”

17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction [a]goes astray.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:17 leads

17 On the path to life is he who guards instruction,
    but he who rejects rebuke goes astray.

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The House of the Righteous Shall Stand

12 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.

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12 He who loves discipline loves knowledge,
    but he who hates rebuke is stupid.

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Wisdom Loves Righteousness

13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
(A)But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

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13 A wise child hears the discipline of a father,
    but a scoffer does not listen to a rebuke.

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18 Poverty and shame will come to him who [a]disdains correction,
But (A)he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores

18 Poverty and disgrace belong to him who ignores instruction,
    but he who guards reproof will be honored.

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(A)A fool despises his father’s instruction,
(B)But he who [a]receives correction is prudent.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps

A fool will despise the instruction of his father,
    but he who guards reproof is prudent.

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12 (A)A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.

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12 A scoffer does not like his rebuke;[a]
    to the wise he will not go.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:12 Literally “rebuke belonging to him”

32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.

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32 He who ignores instruction despises himself,[a]
    but he who hears admonition gains heart.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:32 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
  2. Proverbs 15:32 Or “mind”