Proverbs 9:6–10

6 Forsake mthe foolish, and slive;

And ngo in the way of understanding.

7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame:

And he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

8 oReprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee:

pRebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser:

Teach a just man, and qhe will increase in learning.

10 rThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:

And rrthe knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — New International Version (2011) (NIV)

6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;

walk in the way of insight.”

7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;

whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.

8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;

rebuke the wise and they will love you.

9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;

teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — English Standard Version (ESV)

6 Leave your simple ways, and live,

and walk in the way of insight.”

7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;

reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — New Living Translation (NLT)

6 Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;

learn to use good judgment.”

7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.

Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.

8 So don’t bother correcting mockers;

they will only hate you.

But correct the wise,

and they will love you.

9 Instruct the wise,

and they will be even wiser.

Teach the righteous,

and they will learn even more.

10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.

Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — The New King James Version (NKJV)

6 Forsake foolishness and live,

And go in the way of understanding.

7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,

And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.

8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;

Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — New Century Version (NCV)

6 Stop your foolish ways, and you will live;

take the road of understanding.

7 “If you correct someone who makes fun of wisdom, you will be insulted.

If you correct an evil person, you will get hurt.

8 Do not correct those who make fun of wisdom, or they will hate you.

But correct the wise, and they will love you.

9 Teach the wise, and they will become even wiser;

teach good people, and they will learn even more.

10 “Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord,

and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — American Standard Version (ASV)

6 Leave off, ye simple ones, and live;

And walk in the way of understanding.

7 He that correcteth a scoffer getteth to himself reviling;

And he that reproveth a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

8 Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee:

Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser:

Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom;

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)

6 Forsake follies and live, and go in the way of intelligence. 7 He that instructeth a scorner getteth to himself shame; and he that reproveth a wicked man getteth to himself a blot. 8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee; reprove a wise man, and he will love thee. 9 Impart to a wise man, and he will become yet wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase learning. 10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is intelligence.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

6 Stop being gullible and live.

Start traveling the road to understanding.”

7 Whoever corrects a mocker receives abuse.

Whoever warns a wicked person gets hurt.

8 Do not warn a mocker, or he will hate you.

Warn a wise person, and he will love you.

9 Give ⸤advice⸥ to a wise person,

and he will become even wiser.

Teach a righteous person,

and he will learn more.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

6 Leave inexperience behind, and you will live;

pursue the way of understanding.

7 The one who corrects a mocker

will bring dishonor on himself;

the one who rebukes a wicked man will get hurt.

8 Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;

rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

9 Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still;

teach a righteous man, and he will learn more.

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (NRSVue)

6 Lay aside immaturity and live,

and walk in the way of insight.”

7 Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse;

whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt.

8 Do not rebuke a scoffer, lest he hate you;

rebuke the wise, and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still;

teach the righteous, and they will gain in learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)

6 Lay aside simplicity and live;

walk in the way of understanding.”

7 He who corrects a scoffer gains abuse for himself,

and he who rebukes the wicked gets hurt.

8 Do not rebuke a scoffer, lest he hate you;

rebuke the wise and he will love you.

9 Give to a wise one and he will become more wise;

teach a righteous one and he will increase learning.

10 The start of wisdom is fear of Yahweh,

and knowledge of the Holy One, insight.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)

6 Leave your childish ways and you will live.

Walk in the way that leads to understanding.

7 “When you correct someone who makes fun of others, you might be laughed at.

When you warn a sinner, you might get hurt.

8 Don’t warn those who make fun of others. They will hate you.

Warn those who are wise. They will love you.

9 Teach a wise man. He will become even wiser.

Teach a person who does right. He will learn even more.

10 “If you really want to become wise, you must begin by having respect for the Lord.

To know the Holy One is to gain understanding.

Proverbs 9:6–10 — New American Standard Bible (1995) (NASB95)

6 “Forsake your folly and live,

And proceed in the way of understanding.”

7 He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,

And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.

8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,

Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,

Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

A service of Logos Bible Software

m	See ch. 1:4.
s	ch. 3:2. So ch. 3:2, 16. & 10:27. Comp. ver. 6.
n	ver. 15. ch. 4:14. & 23:19 in the Heb. So ch. 11:5 marg.
o	So Matt. 7:6.
p	See Ps. 141:5.
q	ch. 1:5. Ecclus. 21:15. So ch. 4:2. Comp. Matt. 13:12.
r	See ch. 1:7.
rr	ch. 30:3.