Proverbs 1
1
Purpose
1These are the proverbs of Solomon. He was the son of David and the king of Israel.
2Proverbs teach you wisdom and instruct you.
They help you understand wise sayings.
3They provide you with instruction and help you live wisely.
They lead to what is right and honest and fair.
4They give understanding to childish people.
They give knowledge and good sense to those who are young.
5Let wise people listen and add to what they have learned.
Let those who understand what is right get guidance.
6What I’m teaching also helps you understand proverbs and stories.
It helps you understand the sayings and riddles of those who are wise.
7If you really want to gain knowledge, you must begin by having respect for the Lord.
But foolish people hate wisdom and instruction.
Think and Live Wisely
A Warning Against Sinful Men
8My son, listen to your father’s advice.
Don’t turn away from your mother’s teaching.
9What they teach you will be like a beautiful crown on your head.
It will be like a chain to decorate your neck.
10My son, if sinful men tempt you,
don’t give in to them.
11They might say, “Come along with us.
Let’s hide and wait to kill someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.
Let’s catch some harmless person in our trap.
12Let’s swallow them alive, as the grave does.
Let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down into the pit.
13We’ll get all kinds of valuable things.
We’ll fill our houses with what we steal.
14Cast lots with us for what they own.
We’ll share everything we take from them.”
15My son, don’t go along with them.
Don’t even set your feet on their paths.
16They are always in a hurry to sin.
They are quick to spill someone’s blood.
17How useless it is to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
18Those who hide and wait will spill their own blood.
They will be caught in their own trap.
19That’s what happens to everyone
who goes after money in the wrong way.
That kind of money takes away
the life of those who get it.
Wisdom’s Warning
20Out in the open wisdom calls out.
She raises her voice in a public place.
21On top of the city wall she cries out.
Here is what she says near the gate of the city.
22“How long will you childish people love your childish ways?
How long will you rude people enjoy making fun of God and others?
How long will you foolish people hate knowledge?
23Pay attention to my warning!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you.
I will make known to you my teachings.
24But you refuse to listen when I call out to you.
No one pays attention when I reach out my hand.
25You turn away from all my advice.
And you do not accept my warning.
26So I will laugh at you when you are in danger.
I will make fun of you when hard times come.
27I will laugh when hard times hit you like a storm.
I will laugh when danger comes your way like a windstorm.
I will make fun of you when suffering and trouble come.
28“Then you will call to me. But I won’t answer.
You will look for me. But you won’t find me.
29You hated knowledge.
You didn’t choose to have respect for the Lord.
30You wouldn’t accept my advice.
You turned your backs on my warnings.
31So you will eat the fruit of the way you have lived.
You will choke on the fruit of what you have planned.
32“The wrong path that childish people take will kill them.
Foolish people will be destroyed by being satisfied with the way they live.
33But those who listen to me will live in safety.
They will be at ease and have no fear of being harmed.”
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Proverbs 1
1
The Usefulness of Proverbs
1The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2To know [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction;
To discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight,
3To receive instruction in wise behavior and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness,
Righteousness, justice, and integrity;
4That prudence (good judgment, astute common sense) may be given to the naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled],
And knowledge and discretion (intelligent discernment) to the youth,
5The wise will hear and increase their learning,
And the person of understanding will acquire wise counsel and the skill [to steer his course wisely and lead others to the truth], [Prov 9:9]
6To understand a proverb and a figure [of speech] or an enigma with its interpretation,
And the words of the wise and their riddles [that require reflection].
7¶The [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 #1:7 In Proverbs various kinds of fools are discussed including those who are closed-minded, over-confident, and reject instruction and correction—the unteachable; those who lack spiritual insight—the spiritually blind; and those who are flippant, hardened, and who deliberately choose to reject God and wisdom—the arrogant.fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline. [Ps 111:10]
The Enticement of Sinners
8¶My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not reject the teaching of your mother.
9For they are a garland of grace on your head,
And chains and ornaments [of gold] around your neck.
10My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent. [Ps 1:1; Eph 5:11]
11If they say, “Come with us;
Let us lie in wait to shed blood,
Let us ambush the innocent without cause;
12Let us swallow them alive like Sheol (the place of the dead),
Even whole, as those who go down to the pit [of death];
13We will find and take all kinds of precious possessions,
We will fill our houses with spoil;
14Throw in your lot with us [they insist];
We will all have one money bag [in common],”
15My son, do not walk on the road with them;
Keep your foot [far] away from their path,
16For their feet run to evil,
And they hurry to shed blood.
17Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any bird;
18But [when these people set a trap for others] they lie in wait for their own blood;
They set an ambush for their own lives [and rush to their destruction].
19So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
Greed takes away the lives of its possessors. [Prov 15:27; 1 Tim 6:10]
Wisdom Warns
20¶#1:20 Wisdom is personified as a woman in vv 20-33 and speaks, in the first person, of godly wisdom. Read the word “wisdom” as “the wisdom of God” and see the wonderful power of this book.Wisdom shouts in the street,
She raises her voice in the markets;
21She 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 naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning?
How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing,
How long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge?
23“If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke,
Behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you. [Is 11:2; Eph 1:17-20]
24“Because I called and you refused [to answer],
I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer]; [Is 65:11, 12; 66:4; Jer 7:13, 14; Zech 7:11-13]
25And you treated all my counsel as nothing
And would not accept my reprimand,
26I also will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when your dread and panic come,
27When your dread and panic come like a storm,
And your disaster comes like a whirlwind,
When anxiety and distress come upon you [as retribution].
28“Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer;
They will seek 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 4:3]
29Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord [that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect], [Prov 8:13]
30They would not accept my counsel,
And they spurned all my rebuke.
31“Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own [wicked] way
And be satiated with [the penalty of] their own devices.
32“For the turning away of the #1:32 Lit simple ones.naive will kill them,
And the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them. [Is 32:6]
33“But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust
And will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.”
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