Chapter
Verse

Proverbs 1:31

ESV therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
NIV they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
NASB So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own schemes.
CSB they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes.
NLT Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.
KJV Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

What does Proverbs 1:31 mean?

This verse is a fairly direct statement that choices have consequences (Galatians 6:7). We have various ways of saying this in modern English. "You've made your own bed, now you have to lie in it." "Your chickens are coming home to roost." "You mess with the bull, you get the horns." And so on and so forth. Wisdom cries out for anyone who is willing to listen—only those who ignore her fail to learn from wisdom (Proverbs 1:24).

When we do that, we will have to live with the consequences. What happens when we ignore the wisdom of God (Proverbs 1:7) is entirely our own fault. What comes from sin is our own choice and our own doing. This is a major theme of the first chapter of Romans, which explains that when we choose to reject God, God will let us "have it our way," including all of the painful and embarrassing results.

Every opportunity is before us to follow the Lord. Solomon is preparing us for the consequences that will follow when we choose to go our own way.
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