Proverbs 1 — GNB
1Verse 1The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:Verse 2That one may learn wisdom and instruction, And receive words of understanding;Verse 3That one may gain the instruction of prudence, Justice, equity, and uprightness;Verse 4Which will give caution to the simple, To the young man wisdom and discretion;Verse 5Let the wise man hear, and he will increase his knowledge, And the man of understanding will gain wise counsels;Verse 6So as to understand a proverb and a deep maxim, The words of the wise and their dark sayings.Verse 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.Verse 8Hear, O my son! the instruction of thy father, And neglect not the teaching of thy mother!Verse 9For they shall be a graceful wreath for thy head, And a chain around thy neck.Verse 10My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not!Verse 11If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us lurk secretly for him who is innocent in vain;Verse 12Let us swallow them up alive, like the underworld, Yea, in full health, as those that go down into the pit;Verse 13We shall find all kinds of precious substance, We shall fill our houses with spoil;Verse 14Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse;”—Verse 15My son, walk thou not in their way, Refrain thy foot from their path!Verse 16For their feet run to evil, And make haste to shed blood.Verse 17For as the net is spread in vain Before the eyes of any bird,Verse 18So they lie in wait for their own blood; They lurk secretly for their own lives.Verse 19Such are the ways of every one greedy of unjust gain; It taketh away the life of the possessor thereof.Verse 20Wisdom crieth out in the highway; In the market-place she uttereth her voice;Verse 21At the head of the noisy streets she crieth aloud; At the entrances of the gates, throughout the city, she proclaimeth her words [[saying]]:Verse 22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? How long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge?Verse 23Turn ye at my reproof! Behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make known my words to you!Verse 24“Because I have called, and ye have refused,—Because I have stretched out my hand, and no one hath regarded.Verse 25Because ye have rejected all my counsel, And have slighted my rebuke,—Verse 26I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;Verse 27When your fear cometh upon you like a storm. And destruction overtaketh you like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.Verse 28Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer! They will seek me early, But they shall not find me!Verse 29Because they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of the LORD,—Verse 30Because they would not attend to my counsel, And have despised all my reproof,—Verse 31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own devices;Verse 32Yea, the turning away of the simple shall slay them, And the carelessness of fools shall destroy them.Verse 33But whoso hearkeneth to me shall dwell securely, And shall not be disquieted with the fear of evil.”