Proverbs 1:20–33

Wisdom Warns

^20aWisdom shouts in the street,

She ¹lifts her voice in the square;

²¹At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:

²²“How long, O ^1anaive ones, will you love ²being simple-minded?

And ^bscoffers delight themselves in scoffing

And fools ^chate knowledge?

²³“Turn to my reproof,

Behold, I will ^apour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

²⁴“Because ^aI called and you ^brefused,

I ^cstretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

²⁵And you ^aneglected all my counsel

And did not ^bwant my reproof;

²⁶I will also ^alaugh at your ^bcalamity;

I will mock when your ^cdread comes,

²⁷When your dread comes like a storm

And your calamity comes like a ^awhirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

²⁸“Then they will ^acall on me, but I will not answer;

They will ^bseek me diligently but they will not find me,

²⁹Because they ^ahated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the Lord.

³⁰“They ^awould not accept my counsel,

They spurned all my reproof.

³¹“So they shall ^aeat of the fruit of their own way

And be ^bsatiated with their own devices.

³²“For the ^awaywardness of the ¹naive will kill them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

³³“But ^ahe who listens to me shall ¹live securely

And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”