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The Major Theme

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and discipline.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 1:7 Or instruction

32 Indeed, the waywardness[a] of the naïve will kill them,
    and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 1:32 So MT; DSS 4QProva reads narrow-mindedness; lit. the pull of; LXX reads Because they would wrong the naïve, they will be murdered

35 The wise will inherit honor,
    but he holds fools up for ridicule.

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14 Those who are wise store up knowledge,
    but when the fool speaks,[a] destruction is near.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:14 Lit. but the mouth of the fool

21 What the righteous person says[a] nourishes many,
    but fools die because they lack discerning[b] hearts.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:21 Lit. The lips of the righteous
  2. Proverbs 10:21 The Heb. lacks discerning

23 Just as the fool considers wickedness his joy,
    so is wisdom to the discerning man.

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29 Whoever troubles his household will inherit the wind,
    and the fool will be a servant to the wise.

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What a fool says brings[a] a rod to his back,
    but the words of the wise protect them.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:3 Lit. The mouth of the fool

The wisdom of the prudent helps him know how to live,
    but a fool’s stupidity deceives him.

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Fools make fun of guilt,
    but among the upright there are good intentions.

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16 The wise person fears and turns away from evil,
    but a fool is reckless and overconfident.

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24 The crown of the wise is their wealth,
    but the stupidity of fools is just that—stupidity!

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33 Wisdom is at rest in the mind of the discerning—
    even fools know this.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:33 So MT; LXX reads but in the heart of fools it is not discerned

The wise speak, presenting[a] knowledge appropriately,
    but fools spout foolishness.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:2 Lit. The tongues of the wise present

A fool rejects his father’s instructions,
    but anyone who respects[a] reproof acts sensibly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps

What the wise have to say disseminates[a] knowledge,
    but it’s not in the heart of fools to do so.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:7 Lit. The lips of the wise spread

14 A discerning mind seeks knowledge,
    but the mouth of fools feeds on stupidity.

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22 Anyone who has understanding is a fountain of life,
    but foolishness brings punishment to fools.

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Appropriate speech is inconsistent with the fool;
    how much more are deceitful statements[a] with a prince!

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:7 Lit. lips

10 A rebuke is more effective with a man of understanding
    than a hundred lashes to a fool.

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12 It’s better to meet a mother bear who has lost her cubs
    than a fool in his stupidity.

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16 What is this? A fool has enough money to buy wisdom,
    but is senseless?[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:16 Lit. but has no heart

21 The man who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow—
    the father of a fool has no joy.

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24 A person with understanding has wisdom as his objective,
    but a fool looks only[a] to earthly goals.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:24 The Heb. lacks only