Proverbs, 1

1. The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

1. These are proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2. To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

2. for you to obtain wisdom and instruction, to penetrate words of significance,

3. To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

3. to acquire well-ordered knowledge, and become just with discernment and integrity.

4. To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

4. Simple people will become clever and the young will acquire understanding and foresight.

5. A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

5. Let the wise man listen: he will add to his learning, and the man of sound judgment will acquire skill,

6. To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

6. to understand the proverbs and sayings, the words of the wise and their riddles.

7. The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

7. The beginning of knowledge is the fear of Yahweh, only fools have contempt for wisdom and discipline.

8. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

8. Listen, my son, to the teaching of your father, do not ignore your mother's instruction:

9. For they [shall be] an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

9. for they will be your graceful crown, a precious chain around your neck.

10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

10. My son, if sinners try to tempt you, do not give in.

11. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

11. They will invite you, "Come with us, let us spill blood, let us ambush the innocent without a second thought.

12. Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

12. We will engulf them as does the netherworld and snatch them suddenly as does death.

13. We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

13. We will help ourselves to many riches and fill our houses with booty.

14. Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

14. Join forces with us; one purse will be shared between us!"

15. My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

15. My son, do not go with them, do not set foot along their way.

16. For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

16. See how they speed on to evil! How they hasten to spill blood!

17. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

17. What bird would fall into a trap if you set it up in its sight?

18. And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk privily for their [own] lives.

18. But these men stalk themselves and set a trap for their own lives.

19. So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; [which] taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

19. Such is the lot of all who live by plunder: plunder will rob them of their own lives.

20. Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

20. Wisdom shouts aloud in the streets, she raises her voice in the marketplace;

21. She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying],

21. at street corners she cries; she delivers her speeches at the city gates:

22. How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

22. "You ignorant people, how long will you continue to cling to your foolishness? How long will mockers revel in their mockery, and fools have contempt for knowledge?

23. Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

23. Listen to my warning. I will now pour my spirit upon you and make you know my words.

24. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

24. Indeed if I cry out and you refuse to listen, if I offer my hand and no one cares,

25. But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

25. if you ignore my advice and reject my warning,

26. I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

26. I, in turn, will laugh at your disaster, I will sneer when terror grips you;

27. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

27. when terror comes down on you like a hurricane, and distress and anxiety befall you.

28. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

28. Then people will cry to me but I will not respond. They will seek me but will not find me,

29. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

29. because they despised knowledge and did not choose the fear of Yahweh;

30. They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

30. they would not listen to any advice and they rejected all my warnings.

31. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

31. They will harvest the fruit of their evil ways and have their fill of their own designs.

32. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

32. For the error of the ignorant leads to death, the idleness of fools brings about their ruin.

33. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

33. But whoever listens to me will feel secure and at ease, without fear of evil."