Proverbs 1

The Purpose and Theme

1#Pr 10:1; 25:1The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:

2To know wisdom and instruction,

to perceive the words of understanding,

3to receive the instruction of wisdom,

justice, judgment, and equity;

4#Pr 8:5 to give subtlety to the simple,

to the young man knowledge and discretion—

5#Pr 9:9 a wise man will hear and will increase learning,

and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,

6#Ps 78:2; 49:4 to understand a proverb and the interpretation,

the words of the wise and their riddles.

7#Pr 9:10; Job 28:28; Ecc 12:13 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Prologue: Embrace Wisdom

8#Pr 6:20 My son, hear the instruction of your father,

and do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

9#Pr 4:9; Ge 41:42 for they will be a garland of grace on your head,

and chains about your neck.

10#Eph 5:11; Ps 50:18 My son, if sinners entice you,

do not consent.

11#Pr 1:18; 12:6 If they say, “Come with us,

let us lie in wait for blood;

let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

12#Ps 28:1; 124:3 let us swallow them up alive as the grave,

and whole, as those who go down into the pit;

13we will find all kinds of precious possessions;

we will fill our houses with spoil;

14cast in your lot among us,

let us all have one purse”—

15#Ps 1:1; 119:101 my son, do not walk in the way with them,

keep your foot from their path;

16#Pr 6:18; Isa 59:7 for their feet run to evil

and make haste to shed blood.

17Surely in vain the net is spread

in the sight of any bird.

18They lie in wait for their own blood;

they lurk secretly for their own lives.

19#Pr 15:27 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy of gain,

which takes away the life of its owners.

The Call of Wisdom

20#Pr 9:3; Jn 7:37 Wisdom cries out in the street;

she utters her voice in the markets.

21She cries at the corner of the streets, in the openings of the gates;

she speaks her words in the city, saying:

22#Ps 1:1; Pr 1:29 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For the scorners delight in their scorning,

and fools hate knowledge.

23#Joel 2:28; Isa 32:15 Turn at my reproof;

surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

24#Isa 65:12; 66:4 Because I have called and you refused,

I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded,

25#Ps 107:11; Pr 1:30 because you neglected all my counsel,

and would have none of my reproof,

26#Ps 2:4; Pr 10:24 I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your fear comes,

27when your fear comes as desolation

and your destruction comes as a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28#Job 27:9; Isa 1:15 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me early, but they will not find me.

29#Pr 1:22 Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30#Pr 1:25; Ps 81:11 they would have none of my counsel

and despised all my reproof.

31#Job 4:8; Pr 14:14 Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way,

and be filled with their own devices.

32#Jer 2:19 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,

and the prosperity of fools will destroy them.

33#Ps 25:12–13 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,

and will be secure from fear of evil.”

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Proverbs 1

1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

2To know wisdom and instruction;

to discern the words of understanding;

3To receive instruction in wise dealing,

In righteousness and judgement and equity;

4To give subtilty to the simple,

To the young man knowledge and discretion:

5That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning;

And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:

6To understand a proverb, and a figure;

The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge:

But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

8My son, hear the instruction of thy father,

And forsake not the law of thy mother:

9For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head,

And chains about thy neck.

10My son, if sinners entice thee,

Consent thou not.

11If they say, Come with us,

Let us lay wait for blood,

Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;

12Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol,

And whole, as those that go down into the pit;

13We shall find all precious substance,

We shall fill our houses with spoil;

14Thou shalt cast thy lot among us;

We will all have one purse:

15My son, walk not thou in the way with them;

Refrain thy foot from their path:

16For their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed blood.

17For in vain is the net spread, in the eyes of any bird:

18And these lay wait for their own blood,

They lurk privily for their own lives.

19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain;

It taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

20Wisdom crieth aloud in the street;

She uttereth her voice in the broad places;

21She crieth in the chief place of concourse;

At the entering in of the gates,

In the city, she uttereth her words:

22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?

And scorners delight them in scorning,

And fools hate knowledge?

23Turn you at my reproof:

Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you,

I will make known my words unto you.

24Because I have called, and ye refused;

I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

25But ye have set at nought all my counsel,

And would none of my reproof:

26I also will laugh in the day of your calamity;

I will mock when your fear cometh;

27When your fear cometh as a storm,

And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind;

When distress and anguish come upon you.

28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer;

They shall seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:

29For that they hated knowledge,

And did not choose the fear of the LORD:

30They would none of my counsel;

They despised all my reproof:

31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,

And be filled with their own devices.

32For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them,

And the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely,

And shall be quiet without fear of evil.

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