Proverbs 9

Chapter 9

Wisdom’s Invitation

¹Wisdom has ^abuilt her house,

She has hewn out her seven pillars;

²She has ^1aprepared her food, she has ^bmixed her wine;

She has also ^cset her table;

³She has ^asent out her maidens, she ^bcalls

From the ^ctops of the heights of the city:

⁴“^aWhoever is ¹naive, let him turn in here!”

To him who ^blacks ²understanding she says,

⁵“Come, ^aeat of my food

And drink of the wine I have mixed.

⁶“¹Forsake your folly and ^alive,

And ^bproceed in the way of understanding.”

⁷He who ^acorrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,

And he who reproves a wicked man gets ¹insults for himself.

^8aDo not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,

^bReprove a wise man and he will love you.

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

Teach a righteous man and he will ^aincrease his learning.

¹⁰The ^afear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹For ^aby me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise ^afor yourself,

And if you ^bscoff, you alone will bear it.

¹³The ¹woman of folly is ^aboisterous,

She is ²naive and ^bknows nothing.

¹⁴She sits at the doorway of her house,

On a seat by ^athe high places of the city,

¹⁵Calling to those who pass by,

Who are making their paths straight:

¹⁶“^aWhoever is ¹naive, let him turn in here,”

And to him who lacks ²understanding she says,

¹⁷“Stolen water is sweet;

And ^abread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

¹⁸But he does not know that the ¹dead are there,

That her guests are in the ^adepths of Sheol.