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.”

The Value of Wisdom

2 My son, if you receive my words, And atreasure my commands within you,

2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,

And apply your heart to understanding;

3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

And lift up your voice for understanding,

4 bIf you seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hidden treasures;

5 cThen you will understand the fear of the Lord,

And find the knowledge of God.

6 dFor the Lord gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

eHe is a shield to those who walk uprightly;

8 He guards the paths of justice,

And fpreserves the way of His saints.

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,

Equity and every good path.

10 When wisdom enters your heart,

And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

11 Discretion will preserve you;

gUnderstanding will keep you,

12 To deliver you from the way of evil,

From the man who speaks perverse things,

13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness

To hwalk in the ways of darkness;

14 iWho rejoice in doing evil,

And delight in the perversity of the wicked;

15 jWhose ways are crooked,

And who are devious in their paths;

16 To deliver you from kthe immoral woman,

lFrom the seductress who flatters with her words,

17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,

And forgets the covenant of her God.

18 For mher house 1leads down to death,

And her paths to the dead;

19 None who go to her return,

Nor do they 2regain the paths of life—

20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,

And keep to the paths of righteousness.

21 For the upright will dwell in the nland,

And the blameless will remain in it;

22 But the wicked will be 3cut off from the 4earth,

And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

Guidance for the Young

3 My son, do not forget my law,

aBut let your heart keep my commands;

2 For length of days and long life

And bpeace they will add to you.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

cBind them around your neck,

dWrite them on the tablet of your heart,

4 eAnd so find favor and 1high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

5 fTrust in the Lord with all your heart,

gAnd lean not on your own understanding;

6 hIn all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall 2direct your paths.

7 Do not be wise in your own ieyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

8 It will be health to your 3flesh,

And jstrength 4to your bones.

9 kHonor the Lord with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

10 lSo your barns will be filled with plenty,

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

11 mMy son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,

Nor detest His correction;

12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,

nJust as a father the son in whom he delights.

13 oHappy is the man who finds wisdom,

And the man who gains understanding;

14 pFor her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,

And her gain than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies,

And qall the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

16 rLength of days is in her right hand,

In her left hand riches and honor.

17 sHer ways are ways of pleasantness,

And all her paths are peace.

18 She is ta tree of life to those who take hold of her,

And happy are all who 5retain her.

19 uThe Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

By understanding He established the heavens;

20 By His knowledge the depths were vbroken up,

And clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—

Keep sound wisdom and discretion;

22 So they will be life to your soul

And grace to your neck.

23 wThen you will walk safely in your way,

And your foot will not stumble.

24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

25 xDo not be afraid of sudden terror,

Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;

26 For the Lord will be your confidence,

And will keep your foot from being caught.

27 yDo not withhold good from 6those to whom it is due,

When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

28 zDo not say to your neighbor,

“Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will give it,”

When you have it with you.

29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,

For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.

30 aDo not strive with a man without cause,

If he has done you no harm.

31 bDo not envy the oppressor,

And choose none of his ways;

32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord,

cBut His secret counsel is with the upright.

33 dThe curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,

But eHe blesses the home of the just.

34 fSurely He scorns the scornful,

But gives grace to the humble.

35 The wise shall inherit glory,

But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

Security in Wisdom

4 Hear, amy children, the instruction of a father,

And give attention to know understanding;

2 For I give you good doctrine:

Do not forsake my law.

3 When I was my father’s son,

bTender and the only one in the sight of my mother,

4 cHe also taught me, and said to me:

“Let your heart retain my words;

dKeep my commands, and live.

5 eGet wisdom! Get understanding!

Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;

fLove her, and she will keep you.

7 gWisdom is the principal thing;

Therefore get wisdom.

And in all your getting, get understanding.

8 hExalt her, and she will promote you;

She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.

9 She will place on your head ian ornament of grace;

A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,

jAnd the years of your life will be many.

11 I have ktaught you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in right paths.

12 When you walk, lyour steps will not be hindered,

mAnd when you run, you will not stumble.

13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;

Keep her, for she is your life.

14 nDo not enter the path of the wicked,

And do not walk in the way of evil.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

16 oFor they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

And their sleep is 1taken away unless they make someone fall.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And drink the wine of violence.

18 pBut the path of the just qis like the shining 2sun,

That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

19 rThe way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22 For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of slife.

24 Put away from you a 3deceitful mouth,

And put perverse lips far from you.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you.

26 Ponder the path of your tfeet,

And let all your ways be established.

27 Do not turn to the right or the left;

Remove your foot from evil.

The Peril of Adultery

5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

1Lend your ear to my understanding,

2 That you may 2preserve discretion,

And your lips amay keep knowledge.

3 bFor the lips of 3an immoral woman drip honey,

And her mouth is csmoother than oil;

4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,

Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death,

dHer steps lay hold of 4hell.

6 Lest you ponder her path of life—

Her ways are unstable;

You do not know them.

7 Therefore hear me now, my children,

And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

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