Proverbs 9-10
New American Standard Bible
Wisdom’s Invitation
9 Wisdom has (A)built her house,
She has carved out her seven pillars;
2 She has [a](B)prepared her food, she has (C)mixed her wine;
She has also (D)set her table;
3 She has (E)sent out her attendants, she (F)calls out
From the (G)tops of the heights of the city:
4 “(H)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who (I)lacks [b]understanding she says,
5 “Come, (J)eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 [c]Abandon your foolishness and (K)live,
And (L)proceed in the way of understanding.”
7 One who (M)corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And one who rebukes a wicked person gets [d]insults for himself.
8 (N)Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you;
(O)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 (P)increase his insight.
10 The (Q)fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For (R)by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise (S)for yourself,
And if you (T)scoff, you alone will [e]suffer from it.
13 [f]A woman of foolishness is (U)boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding and (V)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by (W)the high places of the city,
15 Calling to those who pass by,
Who are going straight on their paths:
16 “(X)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks [g]understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
And (Y)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the [h]dead are there,
That her guests are in the (Z)depths of Sheol.
Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked
10 The (AA)proverbs of Solomon.
(AB)A wise son makes a father glad,
But (AC)a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
2 [i](AD)Ill-gotten gains do not benefit,
But righteousness rescues from death.
3 The Lord (AE)will not allow the [j]righteous to hunger,
But He (AF)will [k]reject the craving of the wicked.
4 Poor is one who works with [l]a lazy hand,
But the (AG)hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
6 (AH)Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But (AI)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The (AJ)mentioning of the righteous is a blessing,
But (AK)the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The (AL)wise of heart will receive commands,
But [m]a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 One (AM)who walks in integrity walks securely,
But (AN)one who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He (AO)who winks the eye causes trouble,
And [n](AP)a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The (AQ)mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But (AR)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But (AS)love covers all offenses.
13 On (AT)the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But (AU)a rod is for the back of him who has no [o]sense.
14 Wise people (AV)store up knowledge,
But with (AW)the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
15 The (AX)rich person’s wealth is his [p]fortress,
The (AY)ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The [q](AZ)wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
17 One who (BA)is on the path of life follows instruction,
But one who ignores a rebuke goes astray.
18 One (BB)who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are (BC)many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But (BD)one who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is like (BE)choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The (BF)lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools (BG)die for lack of [r]understanding.
22 It is the (BH)blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.
23 Doing wickedness is like (BI)sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a person of understanding.
24 What (BJ)the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the (BK)desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the (BL)whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the (BM)righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the [s](BN)lazy one to those who send him.
27 The (BO)fear of the Lord prolongs [t]life,
But the (BP)years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The (BQ)hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the (BR)expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The (BS)way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright,
But (BT)ruin to the workers of injustice.
30 The (BU)righteous will never be shaken,
But (BV)the wicked will not live in the land.
31 The (BW)mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the (BX)perverted tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know (BY)what is acceptable,
But the (BZ)mouth of the wicked, what is perverted.
Footnotes
- 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
- Proverbs 10:2 Lit Treasures of wickedness
- Proverbs 10:3 Lit soul of the righteous
- Proverbs 10:3 Lit thrust away
- Proverbs 10:4 Lit an idle hand
- Proverbs 10:8 Lit the foolish of lips
- Proverbs 10:10 Lit the foolish of lips
- Proverbs 10:13 Lit heart
- Proverbs 10:15 Lit strong city
- Proverbs 10:16 Or work
- Proverbs 10:21 Lit heart
- Proverbs 10:26 Lit idle one
- Proverbs 10:27 Lit days
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