Online Bible

To Know Wisdom

The ^aproverbs of Solomon ^bthe son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know ^awisdom and discipline,To understand the sayings of ^bunderstanding,3 To ^areceive discipline ¹that leads to insight,^bRighteousness, justice, and equity,4 To give ^aprudence to the ¹^bsimple,To the youth ^cknowledge and discretion;5 Let the wise man hear and ^aincrease in learning,And a ^bman of understanding will acquire guidance,6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,The words of the wise and their ^ariddles.

7 ^aThe fear of ¹Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;²Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.

The Enticement of Sinners

8 ^aHear, my son, your father’s disciplineAnd ^bdo not abandon your mother’s ¹instruction;9 For they are a ^agarland of grace for your headAnd ¹^bornaments about your neck.10 My son, if sinners ^aentice you,^bDo not be willing.11 If they say, “Come with us,Let us ^alie in wait for blood,Let us ^bambush the innocent without cause;12 Let us ^aswallow them alive like Sheol,And whole, as those who ^bgo down to the pit;13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,We will fill our houses with spoil;14 Cast in your lot ¹with us,We shall all have one purse,”15 My son, ^ado not walk in the way with them.^bWithhold your feet from their pathway,16 For ^atheir feet run to evilAnd they hasten to shed blood.17 For it is ¹no use that a net is spreadIn the sight of any ²bird;18 But they ^alie in wait for their own blood;They ambush their own ¹lives.19 So are the paths of everyone who is ^agreedy for gain;It takes away the ¹life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

20 ^aWisdom shouts in the street,She gives forth her voice in the square;21 At the head of the noisy streets she calls out;At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:22 “How long, O ^asimple ones, will you love simplicity?And ^bscoffers delight in scoffingAnd ¹fools ^chate knowledge?23 “Turn to my reproof,Behold, I will ^apour out my spirit on you;I will make my words known to you.24 “Because ^aI called and you ^brefused,I ^cstretched out my hand and no one paid attention;25 And you ^aneglected all my counselAnd were not ^bwilling to accept my reproof;26 I will also ^alaugh at your ^bdisaster;I will mock when your ^cdread comes,27 When your dread comes like a stormAnd your disaster comes like a ^awhirlwind,When distress and anguish come upon you.28 “Then they will ^acall on me, but I will not answer;They will ^bseek me earnestly but they will not find me,29 Because they ^ahated knowledgeAnd did not choose the fear of Yahweh.30 “They ^awere not willing to accept my counsel,They spurned all my reproof.31 “So they shall ^aeat of the fruit of their wayAnd be ^bsatisfied with their own devices.32 “For the ^aturning away of the simple will kill them,And the complacency of fools will destroy them.33 “But ^ahe who listens to me shall dwell securelyAnd will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

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The Usefulness of Proverbs

The ^aproverbs of Solomon ^bthe son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know ^awisdom and instruction,To discern the sayings of ^bunderstanding,3 To ^areceive instruction in wise behavior,^bRighteousness, justice, and integrity;4 To give ^aprudence to the naive,To the youth ^bknowledge and discretion,5 A wise person will hear and ^aincrease in learning,And a ^bperson of understanding will acquire wise counsel,6 To understand a proverb and a saying,The words of the wise and their ^ariddles.

7 ^aThe fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

8 ^aListen, my son, to your father’s instruction,And ^bdo not ignore your mother’s teaching;9 For they are a ^agraceful wreath for your headAnd ^bnecklaces for your neck.10 My son, if sinners ^aentice you,^bDo not consent.11 If they say, “Come with us,Let’s ^alie in wait for blood,Let’s ^bambush the innocent without cause;12 Let’s ^aswallow them alive like Sheol,Even whole, like those who ^bgo down to the pit;13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,We will fill our houses with plunder;14 Throw in your lot ¹with us;We will all have one money bag,”15 My son, ^ado not walk on the way with them.^bKeep your feet from their path,16 For ^atheir feet run to evil,And they are quick to shed blood.17 Indeed, it is ¹useless to spread the baited netIn the sight of any ²bird;18 But they ^alie in wait for their own blood;They ambush their own lives.19 Such are the ways of everyone who ^amakes unjust gain;It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

20 ^aWisdom shouts in the street,She ¹raises her voice in the public square;21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:22 “How long, you ^anaive ones, will you love simplistic thinking?And how long will ^bscoffers delight themselves in scoffingAnd fools ^chate knowledge?23 “Turn to my rebuke,Behold, I will ^apour out my spirit on you;I will make my words known to you.24 “Because ^aI called and you ^brefused,I ^cstretched out my hand and no one paid attention;25 And you ^aneglected all my adviceAnd did not ^bwant my rebuke;26 I will also ^alaugh at your ^bdisaster;I will mock when your ^cdread comes,27 When your dread comes like a stormAnd your disaster comes like a ^awhirlwind,When distress and anguish come upon you.28 “Then they will ^acall on me, but I will not answer;They will ^bseek me diligently but will not find me,29 Because they ^ahated knowledgeAnd did not choose the fear of the LORD.30 “They ^adid not accept my advice,They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.31 “So they shall ^aeat of the fruit of their own way,And be ^bfilled with their own schemes.32 “For the ^afaithlessness of the naive will kill them,And the complacency of fools will destroy them.33 “But ^awhoever listens to me will live securelyAnd will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

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The Usefulness of Proverbs

The ^aproverbs of Solomon ^bthe son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know ^awisdom and instruction,To discern the sayings of ^bunderstanding,3 To ^areceive instruction in wise behavior,^bRighteousness, justice and equity;4 To give ^aprudence to the ¹naive,To the youth ^bknowledge and discretion,5 A wise man will hear and ^aincrease in learning,And a ^bman of understanding will acquire wise counsel,6 To understand a proverb and a figure,The words of the wise and their ^ariddles.

7 ^aThe fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

8 ^aHear, my son, your father’s instructionAnd ^bdo not forsake your mother’s teaching;9 Indeed, they are a ^agraceful wreath to your headAnd ¹^bornaments about your neck.10 My son, if sinners ^aentice you,^bDo not consent.11 If they say, “Come with us,Let us ^alie in wait for blood,Let us ^bambush the innocent without cause;12 Let us ^aswallow them alive like Sheol,Even whole, as those who ^bgo down to the pit;13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,We will fill our houses with spoil;14 Throw in your lot ¹with us,We shall all have one purse,”15 My son, ^ado not walk in the way with them.^bKeep your feet from their path,16 For ^atheir feet run to evilAnd they hasten to shed blood.17 Indeed, it is ¹useless to spread the baited netIn the sight of any ²bird;18 But they ^alie in wait for their own blood;They ambush their own lives.19 So are the ways of everyone who ^agains by violence;It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

20 ^aWisdom shouts in the street,She ¹lifts her voice in the square;21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:22 “How long, O ¹^anaive ones, will you love ²being simple-minded?And ^bscoffers delight themselves in scoffingAnd fools ^chate knowledge?23 “Turn to my reproof,Behold, I will ^apour out my spirit on you;I will make my words known to you.24 “Because ^aI called and you ^brefused,I ^cstretched out my hand and no one paid attention;25 And you ^aneglected all my counselAnd did not ^bwant my reproof;26 I will also ^alaugh at your ^bcalamity;I will mock when your ^cdread comes,27 When your dread comes like a stormAnd your calamity comes like a ^awhirlwind,When distress and anguish come upon you.28 “Then they will ^acall on me, but I will not answer;They will ^bseek me diligently but they will not find me,29 Because they ^ahated knowledgeAnd did not choose the fear of the LORD.30 “They ^awould not accept my counsel,They spurned all my reproof.31 “So they shall ^aeat of the fruit of their own wayAnd be ^bsatiated with their own devices.32 “For the ^awaywardness of the ¹naive will kill them,And the complacency of fools will destroy them.33 “But ^ahe who listens to me shall ¹live securelyAnd will be at ease from the dread of evil.”