Proverbs 8-11
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Gifts of Wisdom
8 Does not wisdom call
and understanding raise her voice?(A)
2 On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:(B)
4 “To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all who live.
5 O simple ones, learn prudence;
acquire intelligence, you who lack it.(C)
6 Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right,(D)
7 for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.(E)
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9 They are all straight to one who understands
and right to those who find knowledge.(F)
10 Take my instruction instead of silver
and knowledge rather than choice gold,(G)
11 for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.(H)
12 I, wisdom, live with prudence,
and I attain knowledge and discretion.(I)
13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.(J)
14 I have good advice and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.(K)
15 By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;(L)
16 by me rulers rule,
and nobles, all who govern rightly.
17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.(M)
18 Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and prosperity.(N)
19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.(O)
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
21 endowing with wealth those who love me
and filling their treasuries.
Wisdom’s Part in Creation
22 “The Lord created me at the beginning[a] of his work,[b]
the first of his acts of long ago.(P)
23 Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.(Q)
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,(R)
26 when he had not yet made earth and fields[c]
or the world’s first bits of soil.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,(S)
28 when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,(T)
30 then I was beside him, like a master worker,[d]
and I was daily his[e] delight,
playing before him always,(U)
31 playing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.(V)
32 “And now, my children, listen to me:
happy are those who keep my ways.(W)
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
34 Happy is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.(X)
35 For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord,(Y)
36 but those who miss me injure themselves;
all who hate me love death.”(Z)
Wisdom’s Feast
9 Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.(AA)
2 She has slaughtered her animals; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.(AB)
3 She has sent out her female servants; she calls
from the highest places in the town,(AC)
4 “You who are simple, turn in here!”
To those without sense she says,(AD)
5 “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.(AE)
6 Lay aside immaturity and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”(AF)
General Maxims
7 Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse;
whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt.(AG)
8 Do not rebuke a scoffer, lest he hate you;
rebuke the wise, and he will love you.(AH)
9 Give instruction[f] to the wise, and they will become wiser still;
teach the righteous, and they will gain in learning.(AI)
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.(AJ)
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.(AK)
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.(AL)
Folly’s Invitation and Promise
13 The foolish woman is loud;
she is ignorant and knows nothing.(AM)
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the high places of the town,
15 calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
16 “You who are simple, turn in here!”
And to those without sense she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”(AN)
18 But they do not know that the dead[g] are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.(AO)
Wise Sayings of Solomon
10 The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise child makes a glad father,
but a foolish child is a mother’s grief.(AP)
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.(AQ)
4 A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.(AR)
5 A child who gathers in summer is prudent,
but a child who sleeps in harvest brings shame.(AS)
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(AT)
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.(AU)
8 The wise of heart will heed commandments,
but one with foolish lips will come to ruin.(AV)
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever follows perverse ways will be found out.(AW)
10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
but one who rebukes boldly makes peace.[h](AX)
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(AY)
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.(AZ)
13 On the lips of one who has understanding wisdom is found,
but a rod is for the back of one who lacks sense.(BA)
14 The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15 The wealth of the rich is their fortress;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.(BB)
16 The wage of the righteous leads to life,
the gain of the wicked to sin.
17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
but one who rejects a rebuke goes astray.
18 Lying lips conceal hatred,
and whoever utters slander is a fool.
19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but the prudent are restrained in speech.(BC)
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
the mind of the wicked is of little worth.(BD)
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
and toil adds nothing to it.(BE)
23 Doing wrong is like sport to a fool,
but wise conduct is pleasure to a person of understanding.(BF)
24 What the wicked dread will come upon them,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.(BG)
25 When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more,
but the righteous are established forever.(BH)
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so are the lazy to their employers.(BI)
27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked will be short.(BJ)
28 The hope of the righteous ends in gladness,
but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.
29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright
but destruction for evildoers.(BK)
30 The righteous will never totter,
but the wicked will not remain on the earth.(BL)
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.(BM)
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.
11 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but an accurate weight is his delight.(BN)
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but wisdom is with the humble.(BO)
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.(BP)
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.(BQ)
5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways straight,
but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright saves them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their schemes.(BR)
7 When the wicked die, hope perishes,
and the expectation of strength comes to nothing.(BS)
8 The righteous are delivered from trouble,
and the wicked come into it instead.(BT)
9 With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.(BU)
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.(BV)
12 Whoever belittles another lacks sense,
but an intelligent person remains silent.(BW)
13 A gossip goes about telling secrets,
but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence.(BX)
14 Where there is no guidance, a nation[i] falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.(BY)
15 To guarantee loans for a stranger brings trouble,
but there is safety in refusing to do so.
16 A gracious woman gets honor,
but she who hates virtue is covered with shame.[j]
The timid become destitute,[k]
but the aggressive gain riches.(BZ)
17 Those who are kind reward themselves,
but the cruel do themselves harm.
18 The wicked earn no real gain,
but those who sow righteousness get a true reward.(CA)
19 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but whoever pursues evil will die.
20 Crooked minds are an abomination to the Lord,
but those of blameless ways are his delight.(CB)
21 Be assured, the wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will escape.(CC)
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without good sense.
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
24 Some give freely yet grow all the richer;
others withhold what is due and only suffer want.(CD)
25 A generous person will be enriched,
and one who gives water will get water.(CE)
26 The people curse those who hold back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it.(CF)
27 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but evil comes to the one who searches for it.(CG)
28 Those who trust in their riches will wither,[l]
but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.(CH)
29 Those who trouble their households will inherit wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and the wise capture souls.(CI)
31 If the righteous are repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!(CJ)
Footnotes
- 8.22 Or me as the beginning
- 8.22 Heb way
- 8.26 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 8.30 Or little child
- 8.30 Gk: Heb lacks his
- 9.9 Heb lacks instruction
- 9.18 Heb shades
- 10.10 Gk: Heb but one with foolish lips will come to ruin
- 11.14 Or an army
- 11.16 Compare Gk Syr: Heb lacks but she . . . shame
- 11.16 Gk: Heb lacks The timid . . . destitute
- 11.28 Cn: Heb fall
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.