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],
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].
7The [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 #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.
The Enticement of Sinners
8My 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.
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.
Wisdom Warns
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?
23If 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.
24Because I called and you refused [to answer],
I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer];
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].
28Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer;
They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,
29Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord [that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect],
30They would not accept my counsel,
And they spurned all my rebuke.
31Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own [wicked] way
And be satiated with [the penalty of] their own devices.
32For the turning away of the #Lit simple ones.naive will kill them,
And the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them.
33But 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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Proverbs 1
1
The Reasons for Proverbs
1The proverbs of Solomon, David’s son who was king of Israel, ⌞given⌟
2to grasp wisdom and discipline,
to understand deep thoughts,
3to acquire the discipline of wise behavior—
righteousness and justice and fairness—
4to give insight to gullible people,
to give knowledge and foresight to the young—
5a wise person will listen and continue to learn,
and an understanding person will gain direction—
6to understand a proverb and a clever saying,
the words of wise people and their riddles.
7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Stubborn fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Listen to Wisdom
8My son,
listen to your father’s discipline,
and do not neglect your mother’s teachings,
9because discipline and teachings
are a graceful garland on your head
and a ⌞golden⌟ chain around your neck.
10My son,
if sinners lure you, do not go along.
11If they say,
“Come with us.
Let’s set an ambush to kill someone.
Let’s hide to ambush innocent people for fun.
12We’ll swallow them alive like the grave,
like those in good health who go into the pit.
13We’ll find all kinds of valuable possessions.
We’ll fill our homes with stolen goods.
14Join us.
We’ll split the loot equally.”
15My son,
do not follow them in their way.
Do not even set foot on their path,
16because they rush to do evil
and hurry to shed blood.
17It does no good to spread a net
within the sight of any bird.
18But these people set an ambush for their own murder.
They go into hiding only to lose their lives.
19This is what happens to everyone
who is greedy for unjust gain.
Greed takes away his life.
20Wisdom sings her song in the streets.
In the public squares she raises her voice.
21At the corners of noisy streets she calls out.
At the entrances to the city she speaks her words,
22“How long will you gullible people love being so gullible?
How long will you mockers find joy in your mocking?
How long will you fools hate knowledge?
23“Turn to me when I warn you.
I will generously pour out my spirit for you.
I will make my words known to you.
24“I called, and you refused to listen.
I stretched out my hands to you, and no one paid attention.
25You ignored all my advice.
You did not want me to warn you.
26I will laugh at your calamity.
I will make fun of you
when panic strikes you,
27when panic strikes you like a violent storm,
when calamity strikes you like a wind storm,
when trouble and anguish come to you.
28“They will call to me at that time, but I will not answer.
They will look for me, but they will not find me,
29because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30They refused my advice.
They despised my every warning.
31They will eat the fruit of their lifestyle.
They will be stuffed with their own schemes.
32“Gullible people kill themselves because of their turning away.
Fools destroy themselves because of their indifference.
33But whoever listens to me will live without worry
and will be free from the dread of disaster.”
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