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 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.”

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.”