Proverbs 1-6
New American Standard Bible
2To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding,
3To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice, and integrity;
4To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion,
5A wise person will hear and increase in learning, And a person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
6To understand a proverb and a saying, The words of the wise and their riddles.
7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, And do not ignore your mother’s teaching;
9For they are a graceful wreath for your head And necklaces for your neck.
10My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.
11If they say, 'Come with us, Let’s lie in wait for blood, Let’s ambush the innocent without cause;
12Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with plunder;
14Throw in your lot with us; We will all have one money bag,'
15My son, do not walk on the way with them. Keep your feet from their path,
16For their feet run to evil, And they are quick to shed blood.
17Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird;
18But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.
19Such are the ways of everyone who makes unjust gain; It takes away the life of its possessors.
20Wisdom shouts in the street, She raises her voice in the public square;
21At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:
22'How long, you naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking? And how long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?
23Turn to my rebuke, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
24Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25And you neglected all my advice And did not want my rebuke;
26I will also laugh at your disaster; I will mock when your dread comes,
27When your dread comes like a storm And your disaster comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.
28Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but will not find me,
29Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30They did not accept my advice, They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.
31So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own schemes.
32For the faithlessness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33But whoever listens to me will live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.'
Chapter 2
1My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2Make your ear attentive to wisdom; Incline your heart to understanding. 3For if you cry out for insight, And raise your voice for understanding; 4If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And discover the knowledge of God. 6For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8Guarding the paths of justice, And He watches over the way of His godly ones. 9Then you will discern righteousness, justice, And integrity, and every good path. 10For wisdom will enter your heart, And knowledge will be delightful to your soul; 11Discretion will watch over you, Understanding will guard you, 12To rescue you from the way of evil, From a person who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16To rescue you from the strange woman, From the foreign woman who flatters with her words, 17Who leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18For her house sinks down to death, And her tracks lead to the dead; 19None who go to her return, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20So you will walk in the way of good people And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21For the upright will live in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; 22But the wicked will be eliminated from the land, And the treacherous will be torn away from it.Chapter 3
1My son, do not forget my teaching, But have your heart comply with my commandments; 2For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4So you will find favor and a good reputation In the sight of God and man. 5Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9Honor the Lord from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce; 10Then your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His rebuke, 12For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights. 13Blessed is a person who finds wisdom, And one who obtains understanding. 14For her profit is better than the profit of silver, And her produce better than gold. 15She is more precious than jewels, And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths are peace. 18She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are those who hold on to her. 19The Lord founded the earth by wisdom, He established the heavens by understanding. 20By His knowledge the ocean depths were burst open, And the clouds drip with dew. 21My son, see that they do not escape from your sight; Comply with sound wisdom and discretion, 22And they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23Then you will walk in your way securely, And your foot will not stumble. 24When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25Do not be afraid of sudden danger, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught. 27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28Do not say to your neighbor, 'Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it to you,' When you have it with you. 29Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30Do not contend with a person for no reason, If he has done you no harm. 31Do not envy a violent person, And do not choose any of his ways. 32For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; But He is intimate with the upright. 33The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the righteous. 34Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the needy. 35The wise will inherit honor, But fools increase dishonor.Chapter 4
1Listen, my sons, to the instruction of a father, And pay attention so that you may gain understanding, 2For I give you good teaching; Do not abandon my instruction. 3When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, 4He taught me and said to me, 'Let your heart take hold of my words; Keep my commandments and live; 5Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6Do not abandon her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. 7The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your possessions, acquire understanding. 8Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. 9She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.' 10Listen, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. 11I have instructed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. 12When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; And if you run, you will not stumble. 13Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. 14Do not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil people. 15Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on. 16For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. 18But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. 19The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. 20My son, pay attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21They are not to escape from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. 22For they are life to those who find them, And healing to all their body. 23Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. 24Rid yourself of a deceitful mouth And keep devious speech far from you. 25Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. 26 Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. 27Do not turn to the right or to the left; Turn your foot from evil.Chapter 5
1My son, pay attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding, 2So that you may maintain discretion And your lips may comply with knowledge. 3For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, And her speech is smoother than oil; 4But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. 6 She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it. 7Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not turn away from the words of my mouth. 8Keep your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, 9Otherwise you will give your vigor to others, And your years to the cruel one; 10And strangers will be filled with your strength, And your hard-earned possessions will go to the house of a foreigner; 11And you will groan in the end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; 12And you say, 'How I hated instruction! And my heart disdainfully rejected rebuke! 13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers, Nor incline my ear to my instructors! 14I was almost in total ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation.' 15Drink water from your own cistern, And fresh water from your own well. 16Should your springs overflow into the street, Streams of water in the public squares? 17Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you. 18Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 Like a loving doe and a graceful mountain goat, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love. 20For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress, And embrace the breasts of a foreigner? 21For the ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord, And He observes all his paths. 22His own wrongdoings will trap the wicked, And he will be held by the ropes of his sin. 23He will die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray.Chapter 6
1My son, if you have become a guarantor for your neighbor, Or have given a handshake for a stranger, 2 If you have been ensnared by the words of your mouth, Or caught by the words of your mouth, 3Then do this, my son, and save yourself: Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and be urgent with your neighbor to free yourself. 4Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; 5Save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler. 6Go to the ant, you lazy one, Observe its ways and be wise, 7Which, having no chief, Officer, or ruler, 8Prepares its food in the summer And gathers its provision in the harvest. 9How long will you lie down, you lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep? 10'A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,' 11Then your poverty will come in like a drifter, And your need like an armed man. 12A worthless person, a wicked man, Is one who walks with a perverse mouth, 13Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers; 14Who, with perversion in his heart, continually devises evil, Who spreads strife. 15Therefore his disaster will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing. 16There are six things that the Lord hates, Seven that are an abomination to Him: 17Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19A false witness who declares lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. 20My son, comply with the commandment of your father, And do not ignore the teaching of your mother; 21Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22When you walk, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. 23For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And rebukes for discipline are the way of life 24To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman. 25Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids. 26For the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for a precious life. 27Can anyone take fire in his lap And his clothes not be burned? 28Or can a person walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched? 29So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished. 30 People do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry; 31But when he is found, he must repay seven times as much; He must give up all the property of his house. 32One who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself commits it. 33He will find wounds and disgrace, And his shame will not be removed. 34For jealousy enrages a man, And he will not have compassion on the day of vengeance. 35He will not accept any settlement, Nor will he be satisfied though you make it a large gift.King James Version
6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
12For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
26For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
27Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
12When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
18But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 1
1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; 3for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; 4for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man— 5let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance—
6for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles.
7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.
8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching,
9for they will be a garland of favor on your head and pendants around your neck.
10My son, if sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded.
11If they say—"Come with us! Let’s set an ambush and kill someone. Let’s attack some innocent person just for fun!
12Let’s swallow them alive, like Sheol, whole, like those who go down to the Pit.
13We’ll find all kinds of valuable property and fill our houses with plunder.
14Throw in your lot with us, and we’ll all share the loot" —
15my son, don’t travel that road with them or set foot on their path,
16because their feet run toward evil and they hurry to shed blood.
17It is useless to spread a net where any bird can see it,
18but they set an ambush to kill themselves; they attack their own lives.
19Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly; it takes the lives of those who receive it.
20Wisdom calls out in the street; she makes her voice heard in the public squares.
21She cries out above the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:
22"How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance? How long will you mockers enjoy mocking and you fools hate knowledge?
23If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.
24Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention,
25since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction,
26I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you,
27when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you.
28Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will search for me, but won’t find me.
29Because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose to fear the Lord,
30were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction,
31they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes.
32For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger."
Chapter 2
1My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; 3furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, 4if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, 5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. 6For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity 8so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers. 9Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity—every good path. 10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight you. 11Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you. 12It will rescue you from the way of evil— from anyone who says perverse things, 13from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness, 14from those who enjoy doing evil and celebrate perversion, 15whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious. 16It will rescue you from a forbidden woman, from a wayward woman with her flattering talk, 17who abandons the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits. 19None return who go to her; none reach the paths of life. 20So follow the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it; 22but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous ripped out of it.Chapter 3
1My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; 2for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. 3Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people.
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;
6in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.
7Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.
9Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest;
10then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
11Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline;
12for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.
13Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding,
14for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than gold.
15She is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire can equal her.
16Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor.
17Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths, peaceful.
18She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who hold on to her are happy.
19The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.
20By his knowledge the watery depths broke open, and the clouds dripped with dew.
21Maintain sound wisdom and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them.
22They will be life for you and adornment for your neck.
23Then you will go safely on your way; your foot will not stumble.
24When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant.
25Don’t fear sudden danger or the ruin of the wicked when it comes,
26for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from a snare.
27When it is in your power, don’t withhold good from the one to whom it belongs.
28Don’t say to your neighbor, "Go away! Come back later. I’ll give it tomorrow"—when it is there with you.
29Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor, for he trusts you and lives near you.
30Don’t accuse anyone without cause, when he has done you no harm.
31Don’t envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;
32for the devious are detestable to the Lord, but he is a friend to the upright.
33The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous;
34He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble.
35The wise will inherit honor, but he holds up fools to dishonor.
Chapter 4
1Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, 2for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching. 3When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, 4he taught me and said: "Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. 5Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth. 6Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you. 7Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding. 8Cherish her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. 9She will place a garland of favor on your head; she will give you a crown of beauty." 10Listen, my son. Accept my words, and you will live many years. 11I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths. 12When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; when you run, you will not stumble. 13Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life. 14Keep off the path of the wicked; don’t proceed on the way of evil ones. 15Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by. 16For they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. 19But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble. 20My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. 21Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. 22For they are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body. 23Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. 24Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously. 25Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. 26Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. 27Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil.Chapter 5
1My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen closely to my understanding 2so that you may maintain discretion and your lips safeguard knowledge. 3Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her words are smoother than oil, 4in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a double-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; her steps head straight for Sheol.
6She doesn’t consider the path of life; she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable.
7So now, sons, listen to me, and don’t turn away from the words from my mouth.
8Keep your way far from her. Don’t go near the door of her house.
9Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others and your years to someone cruel;
10strangers will drain your resources, and your hard-earned pay will end up in a foreigner’s house.
11At the end of your life, you will lament when your physical body has been consumed,
12and you will say, "How I hated discipline, and how my heart despised correction.
13I didn’t obey my teachers or listen closely to my instructors.
14I am on the verge of complete ruin before the entire community."
15Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well.
16Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares?
17They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers.
18Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.
19A loving deer, a graceful doe — let her breasts always satisfy you; be lost in her love forever.
20Why, my son, would you lose yourself with a forbidden woman or embrace a wayward woman?
21For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and he considers all his paths.
22A wicked man’s iniquities will trap him; he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin.
23He will die because there is no discipline, and be lost because of his great stupidity.
Chapter 6
1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor or entered into an agreement with a stranger, 2you have been snared by the words of your mouth trapped by the words from your mouth. 3Do this, then, my son, and free yourself, for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power: Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor. 4Don’t give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. 5Escape like a gazelle from a hunter, like a bird from a hunter’s trap. 6Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise. 7Without leader, administrator, or ruler, 8it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest. 9How long will you stay in bed, you slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? 10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, 11and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit. 12A worthless person, a wicked man goes around speaking dishonestly, 13winking his eyes, signaling with his feet, and gesturing with his fingers. 14He always plots evil with perversity in his heart; he stirs up trouble. 15Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly, beyond recovery. 16The Lord hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to him: 17arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, 19a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers. 20My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching. 21Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck. 22When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. 23For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life. 24They will protect you from an evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a wayward woman. 25Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelashes. 26For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread, but the wife of another man goes after a precious life. 27Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? 28Can a man walk on burning coals without scorching his feet? 29So it is with the one who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. 30People don’t despise the thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry. 31Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much; he must give up all the wealth in his house. 32The one who commits adultery lacks sense; whoever does so destroys himself. 33He will get a beating and dishonor, and his disgrace will never be removed. 34For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge. 35He will not be appeased by anything or be persuaded by lavish bribes.New Living Translation
2Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.
5Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance
6by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.
8My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
9What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.
10My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!
11They may say, 'Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent!
12Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave ; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death.
13Think of the great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take.
14Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.'
15My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths.
16They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder.
17If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away.
18But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed.
19Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.
20Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.
21She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:
22'How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge?
23Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.
24'I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.
25You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered.
26So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you —
27when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you.
28'When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.
29For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord.
30They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them.
31Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.
32For simpletons turn away from me — to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
33But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.'
Chapter 2
1My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. 2Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. 3Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. 4Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. 5Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. 6For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 8He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
9Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.
10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.
12Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.
13These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths.
14They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
15Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong.
16Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.
17She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God.
18Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave.
19The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life.
20So follow the steps of the good, and stay on the paths of the righteous.
21For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
22But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted.
Chapter 3
1My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. 2If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. 3Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
6Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
7Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.
9Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
10Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
11My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
12For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
13Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.
14For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.
15Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
16She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left.
17She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying.
18Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.
19By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens.
20By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.
21My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,
22for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.
23They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.
24You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.
25You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,
26for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.
27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.
28If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, 'Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.'
29Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you.
30Don’t pick a fight without reason, when no one has done you harm.
31Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.
32Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.
Chapter 4
1My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, 2for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions. 3For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.
4My father taught me, 'Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.
5Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
6Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.
7Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
8If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you.
9She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.'
10My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
11I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths.
12When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble.
13Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.
14Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
15Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.
16For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
17They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence!
18The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
19But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
20My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words.
21Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
25Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.
27Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
Chapter 5
1My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. 2Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned. 3For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. 4But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. 6For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.
7So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say:
8Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house!
9If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
10Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
11In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body.
12You will say, 'How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
13Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
14I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.'
15Drink water from your own well — share your love only with your wife.
16Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone?
17You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers.
18Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.
20Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?
21For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.
22An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him.
23He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.
Chapter 6
1My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger — 2if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said — 3follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. 4Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. 5Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.
6Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!
7Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work,
8they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.
9But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?
10A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest —
11then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
12What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars,
13signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
14Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble.
15But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.
16There are six things the Lord hates — no, seven things he detests:
17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent,
18a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong,
19a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.
20My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
21Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck.
22When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you.
23For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life.
24It will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
25Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.
26For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.
27Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire?
28Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?
29So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished.
30Excuses might be found for a thief who steals because he is starving.
31But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house.
32But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself.
33He will be wounded and disgraced. His shame will never be erased.
34For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35He will accept no compensation, nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.
English Standard Version
2To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,
3to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth —
5Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, your father 's instruction, and forsake not your mother 's teaching,
9for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
10My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
11If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason;
12like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse" —
15my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths,
16for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird,
18but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;
21at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22"How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
23If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,
26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,
27when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,
31therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
32For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."
Chapter 2
1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, 12delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, 13who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, 14who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, 15men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. 16So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, 17who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed; 19none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life. 20So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, 22but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.Chapter 3
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, 2for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. 3Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 9Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord 's discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. 13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, 14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. 15She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. 19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; 20by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. 21My son, do not lose sight of these — keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, 26for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it" — when you have it with you. 29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, 32for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. 33 The Lord 's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. 35The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.Chapter 4
1 Hear, O sons, a father 's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, 2for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. 3When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, 4he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. 6Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. 8Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. 9She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown." 10 Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. 11I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. 12When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. 14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. 15Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. 16For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. 17For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. 19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. 20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. 23Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.Chapter 5
1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, 4but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; 6she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. 7And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, 9lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, 10lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, 11and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, 12and you say, "How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! 13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. 14 I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation." 15Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. 16Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. 18Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, 19a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. 20Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? 21For a man 's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. 22The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. 23 He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.Chapter 6
1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, 2if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, 3then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. 4 Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; 5save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler. 6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. 12 A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, 13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, 14with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; 15therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. 16There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. 20 My son, keep your father 's commandment, and forsake not your mother 's teaching. 21 Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. 23For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 24to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; 26for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. 27Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? 28Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? 29So is he who goes in to his neighbor 's wife; none who touches her will go unpunished. 30People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, 31but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house. 32He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. 33He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. 34For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge. 35He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts.New International Version
2for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;
3for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair;
4for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—
5let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—
6for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
10My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.
11If they say, "Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;
14cast lots with us; we will all share the loot"—
15my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;
16for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood.
17How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it!
18These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!
19Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.
20Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;
21on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech:
22"How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
23Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.
24But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke,
26I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
27when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28"Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me,
29since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
31they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."
Chapter 2
1My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— 3indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path.
10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.
12Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,
13who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways,
14who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.
16Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.
18Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.
20Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
22but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
2for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
3Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
7Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
8This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
9Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
11My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke,
12because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
13Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,
14for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
15She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
16Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
17Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.
18She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.
19By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
21My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.
23Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.
24When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.
27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.
28Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you"— when you already have it with you.
29Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.
31Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.
32For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence.
33The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.
34He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
35The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.
Chapter 4
1Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. 2I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. 3For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. 4Then he taught me, and he said to me, "Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. 5Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. 6Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 7The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 8Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
9She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown."
10Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
11I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
12When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
13Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
14Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.
15Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
16For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
20My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.
21Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.
23Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
24Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
26Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
27Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Chapter 5
1My son, pay attention to my wisdom, turn your ear to my words of insight, 2that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. 3For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; 4but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.
7Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
8Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
9lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another.
11At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
12You will say, "How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!
13I would not obey my teachers or turn my ear to my instructors.
14And I was soon in serious trouble in the assembly of God’s people."
15Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
16Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
17Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
18May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.
22The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.
Chapter 6
1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, 2you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth. 3So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion— and give your neighbor no rest! 4Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.
5Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
7It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,
8yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
9How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
11and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
12A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,
14who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up conflict.
15Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
16There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
20My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck.
22When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.
23For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,
25Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife preys on your very life.
27Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?
28Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
29So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.
New King James Version
