1:1 THE PROVERBS of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the words of understanding;
1:3 To receive the discipline of wisdom, justice, and right, and equity;
1:4 To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion;
1:5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and the man of understanding may attain unto wise counsels;
1:6 To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and discipline.
1:8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
1:9 For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
1:10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
1:11 If they say: 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us lurk for the innocent without cause;
1:12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those that go down into the pit;
1:13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
1:14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse'--
1:15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them, restrain thy foot from their path;
1:16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
1:17 For in vain the net is spread in the eyes of any bird;
1:18 And these lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk for their own lives.
1:19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; it taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
1:20 Wisdom crieth aloud in the streets, she uttereth her voice in the broad places;
1:21 She calleth at the head of the noisy streets, at the entrances of the gates, in the city, she uttereth her words:
1:22 'How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness? And how long will scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
1:23 Turn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man attended,
1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof;
1:26 I also, in your calamity, will laugh, I will mock when your dread cometh;
1:27 When your dread cometh as a storm, and your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; when trouble and distress come upon you.
1:28 Then will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me.
1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord;
1:30 They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof.
1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
1:32 For the waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them, and the confidence of fools shall destroy them.
1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.'