Proverbs 1–2

The Importance of Proverbs

1These are the wise words of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.

²They teach wisdom and self-control;

they will help you understand wise words.

³They will teach you how to be wise and self-controlled

and will teach you to do what is honest and fair and right.

⁴They make the uneducated wise

and give knowledge and sense to the young.

⁵Wise people can also listen and learn;

even they can find good advice in these words.

⁶Then anyone can understand wise words and stories,

the words of the wise and their riddles.

⁷Knowledge begins with respect for the Lord,

but fools hate wisdom and discipline.

Warnings Against Evil

⁸My child, listen to your father’s teaching

and do not forget your mother’s advice.

⁹Their teaching will be like flowers in your hair

or a necklace around your neck.

¹⁰My child, if sinners try to lead you into sin,

do not follow them.

¹¹They will say, “Come with us.

Let’s ambush and kill someone;

let’s attack some innocent people just for fun.

¹²Let’s swallow them alive, as death does;

let’s swallow them whole, as the grave does.

¹³We will take all kinds of valuable things

and fill our houses with stolen goods.

¹⁴Come join us,

and we will share with you stolen goods.”

¹⁵My child, do not go along with them;

do not do what they do.

¹⁶They are eager to do evil

and are quick to kill.

¹⁷It is useless to spread out a net

right where the birds can see it.

¹⁸But sinners will fall into their own traps;

they will only catch themselves!

¹⁹All greedy people end up this way;

greed kills selfish people.

Wisdom Speaks

²⁰Wisdom is like a woman shouting in the street;

she raises her voice in the city squares.

²¹She cries out in the noisy street

and shouts at the city gates:

²²“You fools, how long will you be foolish?

How long will you make fun of wisdom

and hate knowledge?

²³If only you had listened when I corrected you,

I would have told you what’s in my heart;

I would have told you what I am thinking.

²⁴I called, but you refused to listen;

I held out my hand, but you paid no attention.

²⁵You did not follow my advice

and did not listen when I corrected you.

²⁶So I will laugh when you are in trouble.

I will make fun when disaster strikes you,

²⁷when disaster comes over you like a storm,

when trouble strikes you like a whirlwind,

when pain and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸“Then you will call to me,

but I will not answer.

You will look for me,

but you will not find me.

²⁹It is because you rejected knowledge

and did not choose to respect the Lord.

³⁰You did not accept my advice,

and you rejected my correction.

³¹So you will get what you deserve;

you will get what you planned for others.

³²Fools will die because they refuse to listen;

they will be destroyed because they do not care.

³³But those who listen to me will live in safety

and be at peace, without fear of injury.”

Rewards of Wisdom

2My child, listen to what I say

and remember what I command you.

²Listen carefully to wisdom;

set your mind on understanding.

³Cry out for wisdom,

and beg for understanding.

⁴Search for it like silver,

and hunt for it like hidden treasure.

⁵Then you will understand respect for the Lord,

and you will find that you know God.

⁶Only the Lord gives wisdom;

he gives knowledge and understanding.

⁷He stores up wisdom for those who are honest.

Like a shield he protects the innocent.

⁸He makes sure that justice is done,

and he protects those who are loyal to him.

⁹Then you will understand what is honest and fair

and what is the good and right thing to do.

¹⁰Wisdom will come into your mind,

and knowledge will be pleasing to you.

¹¹Good sense will protect you;

understanding will guard you.

¹²It will keep you from the wicked,

from those whose words are bad,

¹³who don’t do what is right

but what is evil.

¹⁴They enjoy doing wrong

and are happy to do what is crooked and evil.

¹⁵What they do is wrong,

and their ways are dishonest.

¹⁶It will save you from the unfaithful wife

who tries to lead you into adultery with pleasing words.

¹⁷She leaves the husband she married when she was young.

She ignores the promise she made before God.

¹⁸Her house is on the way to death;

those who took that path are now all dead.

¹⁹No one who goes to her comes back

or walks the path of life again.

²⁰But wisdom will help you be good

and do what is right.

²¹Those who are honest will live in the land,

and those who are innocent will remain in it.

²²But the wicked will be removed from the land,

and the unfaithful will be thrown out of it.