(A)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

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Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

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22 “How long, you (A)naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking?
And how long will (B)scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools (C)hate knowledge?

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22 “How long will you clueless people love your naïveté,
    mockers hold their mocking dear,
    and fools hate knowledge?

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32 For the (A)faithlessness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

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32 The immature will die because they turn away;
    smugness will destroy fools.

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You (A)naive ones, understand prudence;
And, you (B)fools, understand [a]wisdom!

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 8:5 Lit heart

Understand skill, you who are naive.
    Take this to heart, you fools.

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13 [a]A woman of foolishness is (A)boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding and (B)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by (C)the high places of the city,
15 Calling to those who pass by,
Who are going straight on their paths:
16 (D)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks [b]understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
And (E)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the [c]dead are there,
That her guests are in the (F)depths of Sheol.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:13 Or A foolish woman
  2. Proverbs 9:16 Lit heart
  3. Proverbs 9:18 Lit departed spirits

“Woman Folly’s” invitation

13 Woman Folly is noisy;
    she’s stupid and doesn’t even know it.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
    on a seat at the city heights.
15 She invites those who pass by on the path,
    those going straight on their way.
16 “Whoever is naive, come in here,”
    she says to those who lack sense.
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
    food eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But they don’t know that the dead are there;
    her guests are in the depths of the grave.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:18 Heb Sheol

The (A)wise of heart will receive commands,
But [a]a babbling fool will come to ruin.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:8 Lit the foolish of lips

The skilled mind accepts commands,
    but a foolish talker is ruined.

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18 One (A)who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.

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18 Lying lips conceal hate,
    and those who spread slander are fools.

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23 Doing wickedness is like (A)sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a person of understanding.

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23 Fools enjoy vile deeds,
    but those with understanding take pleasure in wisdom.

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29 One who (A)troubles his own house will (B)inherit wind,
And (C)the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted.

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29 Those who trouble their family will inherit the wind.
    The fool will be servant to the wise.

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15 The (A)way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a person who listens to advice is wise.
16 A (B)fool’s anger is known at once,
But a prudent person conceals dishonor.

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15 Fools see their own way as right,
    but the wise listen to advice.
16 Fools reveal their anger right away,
    but the shrewd hide their contempt.

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23 A (A)prudent person conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.

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23 The shrewd conceal their knowledge,
    but the heart of fools proclaims their stupidity.

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16 Every (A)prudent person acts with knowledge,
But a fool [a]displays foolishness.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:16 Lit spreads out

16 The prudent all act intelligently,
    but fools display their stupidity.

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