Proverbs 1
1 The Proverbs
of Solomon son of David, who reigned in Israel;
2 to know wisdom and instruction, and
to perceive words of understanding;
3 to receive also
aGr. turnings, q. d. knotty words. See Heb.hard sayings, and to understand true justice, and
how to direct judgment;
4 that he might give subtlety to the
simple, and to the young man
bOr, discretion.discernment and understanding. 5 For
by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser, and the man of understanding
will gain direction; 6 and will
understand a parable, and a dark speech; the sayings of the wise also, and
riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the
cOr, sum, or, top.beginning of wisdom; and there is good understanding
to all that practise it: and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment;
but the ungodly will set at nought wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear,
my son, the instruction of thy father, and reject not
the rules of thy mother. 9 For thou
shalt receive for thine head a crown of graces, and a chain of gold round thy
neck.
10 My son,
let not ungodly men lead thee astray, neither consent thou
to them.
11 If they should exhort thee,
saying, Come with us, partake in blood, and let us unjustly hide the just man
in the earth: 12 and let us swallow
him alive, as Hades would, and remove the memorial of
him from the earth: 13 let us seize
on his valuable property, and let us fill our houses with spoils:
14 but do thou cast in thy lot with
us, and let us all provide a common purse, and let us have one pouch:
15 go not in the way with them, but
turn aside thy foot from their paths:dFor ver 16, see Appendix.
17 for nets are not without cause
spread for birds. 18 For they that
are concerned in murder store up evils for themselves; and the overthrow of
transgressors is evil. 19 These are
the ways of all that perform lawless deeds; for by ungodliness they destroy
their own life.
20 Wisdom sings aloud in passages,
and in the broad places speaks boldly.
21 And she makes proclamation on the
top of the walls, and sits by the gates of princes; and at the gates of the
city boldly says, 22 So long as the
simple cleave to justice, they shall not be ashamed: but the foolish being
lovers of haughtiness, having become ungodly have hated knowledge, and are
become subject to reproofs.
23 Behold, I will bring forth to you
the utterance of my breath, and I will instruct you in my speech.
24 Since I called, and ye did not
hearken; and I spoke at length, and ye gave no heed;
25 but ye set at nought my counsels,
and disregarded my reproofs;
26 therefore I also will laugh at
your destruction; and I will rejoice against you when
ruin comes upon you: 27 yea when
dismay suddenly comes upon you, and your overthrow
shall arrive like a tempest; and when tribulation and distress shall come upon
you, or when ruin shall come upon you.
28 For it shall be that when ye call
upon me, I will not hearken to you: wicked men shall seek me, but shall not
find me.
29 For they hated wisdom, and did not
choose the word of the Lord:
30 neither would they attend to my
counsels, but derided my reproofs.
31 Therefore shall they eat the
fruits of their own way, and shall be filled with their own ungodliness.
32 For because they wronged the
simple, they shall be slain; and an inquisition shall ruin the ungodly.
33 But he that hearkens to me shall
dwell in
eGr. hope. See Ps. 16.confidence, and shall rest securely from all evil.