The Beginning of Knowledge

1 The aproverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,

To 1perceive the words of understanding,

3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,

Justice, judgment, and equity;

4 To give prudence to the bsimple,

To the young man knowledge and discretion—

5 cA wise man will hear and increase learning,

And a man of understanding will 2attain wise counsel,

6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,

The words of the wise and their driddles.

7 eThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Shun Evil Counsel

8 fMy son, hear the instruction of your father,

And do not forsake the law of your mother;

9 For they will be a ggraceful ornament on your head,

And chains about your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice you,

hDo not consent.

11 If they say, “Come with us,

Let us ilie in wait to shed blood;

Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

12 Let us swallow them alive like 3Sheol,

And whole, jlike those who go down to the Pit;

13 We shall find all kinds of precious 4possessions,

We shall fill our houses with 5spoil;

14 Cast in your lot among us,

Let us all have one purse”—

15 My son, kdo not walk in the way with them,

lKeep your foot from their path;

16 mFor their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed blood.

17 Surely, in 6vain the net is spread

In the sight of any 7bird;

18 But they lie in wait for their own blood,

They lurk secretly for their own lives.

19 nSo are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;

It takes away the life of its owners.

The Call of Wisdom

20 oWisdom calls aloud 8outside;

She raises her voice in the open squares.

21 She cries out in the 9chief concourses,

At the openings of the gates in the city

She speaks her words:

22 “How long, you 1simple ones, will you love 2simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

23 Turn at my rebuke;

Surely pI will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 qBecause I have called and you refused,

I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,

25 Because you rdisdained all my counsel,

And would have none of my rebuke,

26 sI also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your terror comes,

27 When tyour terror comes like a storm,

And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 “Then uthey will call on me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

29 Because they vhated knowledge

And did not wchoose the fear of the Lord,

30 xThey would have none of my counsel

And despised my every rebuke.

31 Therefore ythey shall eat the fruit of their own way,

And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

32 For the 3turning away of the simple will slay them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 But whoever listens to me will dwell zsafely,

And awill be 4secure, without fear of evil.”