Online Bible

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.

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.

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.”