The Proverbs
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1 The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel: 2 That one may learn wisdom and instruction, And receive words of understanding; 3 That one may gain the instruction of prudence, Justice, equity, and uprightness; 4 Which will give caution to the simple, To the young man wisdom and discretion; 5 Let the wise man hear, and he will increase his knowledge, And the man of understanding will gain wise counsels; 6 So as to understand a proverb and a deep maxim, The words of the wise and their dark sayings. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 Hear, O my son! the instruction of thy father, And neglect not the teaching of thy mother! 9 For they shall be a graceful wreath for thy head, And a chain around thy neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not! 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us lurk secretly for him who is innocent in vain; 12 Let us swallow them up alive, like the underworld, Yea, in full health, as those that go down into the pit; 13 We shall find all kinds of precious substance, We shall fill our houses with spoil; 14 Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse;”— 15 My son, walk thou not in their way, Refrain thy foot from their path! 16 For their feet run to evil, And make haste to shed blood. 17 For as the net is spread in vain Before the eyes of any bird, 18 So they lie in wait for their own blood; They lurk secretly for their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of every one greedy of unjust gain; It taketh away the life of the possessor thereof. 20 Wisdom crieth out in the highway; In the market-place she uttereth her voice; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she crieth aloud; At the entrances of the gates, throughout the city, she proclaimeth her words [[saying]]: 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? How long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn ye at my reproof! Behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make known my words to you! 24 “Because I have called, and ye have refused,—Because I have stretched out my hand, and no one hath regarded. 25 Because ye have rejected all my counsel, And have slighted my rebuke,— 26 I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh upon you like a storm. And destruction overtaketh you like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer! They will seek me early, But they shall not find me! 29 Because they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of the LORD,— 30 Because they would not attend to my counsel, And have despised all my reproof,— 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own devices; 32 Yea, the turning away of the simple shall slay them, And the carelessness of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth to me shall dwell securely, And shall not be disquieted with the fear of evil.”