Online Bible

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.

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.

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.”