Online Bible

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.”

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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 (truths obscurely expressed, maxims) of Solomon ^bson of David, king of Israel:

2 To know skillful and godly ^awisdom and instruction;To discern and comprehend the words of ^bunderstanding and insight,3 ^aTo receive instruction in wise behavior and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness,^bRighteousness, justice, and integrity;4 That ^aprudence (good judgment, astute common sense) may be given to the naive or inexperienced who are easily misled,And ^bknowledge and discretion (intelligent discernment) to the youth,5 The wise will hear and ^aincrease their learning,And the ^bperson of understanding will acquire wise counsel and the skill to steer his course wisely and lead others to the truth, Prov 9:96 To understand a proverb and a figure of speech or an enigma with its interpretation,And the words of the wise and their ^ariddles that require reflection.

7 ^aThe reverent fear of the LORD that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge its starting point and its essence;But arrogant ¹fools despise skillful and godly wisdom and instruction and self-discipline. Ps 111:10

The Enticement of Sinners

8 My son, ^ahear the instruction of your father,^bAnd do not reject the teaching of your mother.9 For they are a garland of ^agrace on your head,And ^bchains and ornaments of gold around your neck.10 My son, if sinners ^aentice you,^bDo not consent. Ps 1:1; Eph 5:1111 If they say, “Come with us;Let us ^alie in wait to shed blood,Let us ^bambush the innocent without cause;12 Let us ^aswallow them alive like Sheol (the place of the dead) ,Even whole, as those who ^bgo down to the pit of death;13 We will find and take all kinds of precious possessions,We will fill our houses with spoil;14 Throw in your lot with us they insist;We will all have one money bag in common,”15 My son, ^ado not walk on the road with them;^bKeep your foot far away from their path,16 For ^atheir feet run to evil,And they hurry to shed blood.17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited netIn the sight of any bird;18 But when these people set a trap for others they ^alie in wait for their own blood;They set an ambush for their own lives and rush to their destruction.19 So are the ways of everyone who is ^agreedy for gain;Greed takes away the lives of its possessors. Prov 15:27; 1+@Tim 6:10

Wisdom Warns

20 ¹^aWisdom shouts in the street,She raises her voice in the markets;21 She calls out at the head of the noisy streets where large crowds gather;At the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words:22 “How long, O ^anaive ones you who are easily misled, will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning?How long will ^bscoffers who ridicule and deride delight in scoffing,How long will fools who obstinately mock truth ^chate knowledge?23 “If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke,Behold, I Wisdom will ^apour out my spirit on you;I will make my words known to you. Is 11:2; Eph 1:17-2024 “Because ^aI called and you ^brefused to answer,I ^cstretched out my hand and no one has paid attention to my offer; Is 65:11, 12; 66:4; Jer 7:13, 14; Zech 7:11-1325 And you ^atreated all my counsel as nothingAnd would not ^baccept my reprimand,26 I also will ^alaugh at your ^bdisaster;I will mock when your ^cdread and panic come,27 When your dread and panic come like a storm,And your disaster comes like a ^awhirlwind,When anxiety and distress come upon you as retribution.28 “Then they will ^acall upon me (Wisdom) , but I will not answer;They will ^bseek me eagerly but they will not find me, Job 27:9; 35:12, 13; Is 1:15, 16; Jer 11:11; Mic 3:4; James 4:329 Because they ^ahated knowledgeAnd did not choose the fear of the LORD that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect, Prov 8:1330 ^aThey would not accept my counsel,And they spurned all my rebuke.31 “Therefore they shall ^aeat of the fruit of their own wicked wayAnd be ^bsatiated with the penalty of their own devices.32 “For the ^aturning away of the ¹naive will kill them,And the careless ease of self-righteous fools will destroy them. Is 32:633 “But ^awhoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trustAnd will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.”