Chapter 1

1 The proverbs ^R1 of Solomon the ^R2 son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom ^R3 and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, ^R4 3 To receive ^R5 instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, ^R6 justice and equity; 4 To give prudence ^R7 to the naive, ^F1 To the youth knowledge ^R8 and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase ^R9 in learning, And a man ^R10 of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. ^R11

7 The ^R12 fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 Hear, ^R13 my son, your father's instruction And do ^R14 not forsake your mother's teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful ^R15 wreath to your head And ornaments ^{R16 F2} about your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice ^R17 you, Do ^R18 not consent. 11 If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie ^R19 in wait for blood, Let us ambush ^R20 the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow ^R21 them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go ^R22 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 with ^F3 us, We shall all have one purse," 15 My son, do ^R23 not walk in the way with them. Keep ^R24 your feet from their path, 16 For their ^R25 feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless ^F4 to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; ^F5 18 But they lie ^R26 in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains ^R27 by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors.

20 Wisdom ^R28 shouts in the street, She lifts ^F6 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 naive ^{R29 F7} ones, will you love being ^F8 simple-minded? And scoffers ^R30 delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate ^R31 knowledge? 23 "Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour ^R32 out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 "Because I ^R33 called and you refused, ^R34 I stretched ^R35 out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected ^R36 all my counsel And did not want ^R37 my reproof; 26 I will also laugh ^R38 at your calamity; ^R39 I will mock when your dread ^R40 comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, ^R41 When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 "Then they will call ^R42 on me, but I will not answer; They will seek ^R43 me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated ^R44 knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 "They would ^R45 not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 "So they shall eat ^R46 of the fruit of their own way And be satiated ^R47 with their own devices. 32 "For the waywardness ^R48 of the naive ^F9 will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 "But he ^R49 who listens to me shall live ^F10 securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil."

Chapter 2

1 My son, if you will receive ^R50 my words And treasure ^R51 my commandments within you, 2 Make ^R52 your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift ^F11 your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver ^R53 And search for her as for hidden ^R54 treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear ^R55 of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the ^R56 LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield ^R57 to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves ^R58 the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness ^R59 and justice And equity and every good ^R60 course.

10 For wisdom ^R61 will enter your heart And knowledge ^R62 will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard ^R63 you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver ^R64 you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse ^R65 things; 13 From those who leave ^R66 the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways ^R67 of darkness; 14 Who delight ^R68 in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, ^R69 And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver ^R70 you from the strange woman, From the adulteress ^{R71 F12} who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion ^R72 of her youth And forgets the covenant ^R73 of her God; 18 For her ^R74 house sinks ^F13 down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; ^F14 19 None who ^R75 go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths ^R76 of life. 20 So you will walk ^R77 in the way of good men And keep to the paths ^R78 of the righteous. 21 For the ^R79 upright will live ^F15 in the land And the ^R80 blameless will remain in it; 22 But the ^R81 wicked will be cut off from the land And the ^R82 treacherous will be uprooted ^R83 from it.

Chapter 3

1 My son, do ^R84 not forget my teaching, ^F16 But let your heart keep ^R85 my commandments; 2 For length ^R86 of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness ^R87 and truth leave you; Bind ^R88 them around your neck, Write ^R89 them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find ^R90 favor and good ^R91 repute ^F17 In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust ^R92 in the LORD with all your heart And do ^R93 not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge ^R94 Him, And He will make ^R95 your paths straight.

7 Do ^R96 not be wise in your own eyes; Fear ^R97 the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing ^R98 to your body ^F18 And refreshment ^R99 to your bones. 9 Honor ^R100 the LORD from your wealth And from the first ^R101 of all your produce; 10 So your barns ^R102 will be filled with plenty And your vats ^R103 will overflow with new wine. 11 My ^R104 son, do not reject the discipline ^F19 of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom ^R105 the LORD loves He reproves, Even as ^R106 a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

13 How ^R107 blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit ^R108 is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more ^R109 precious than jewels; ^F20 And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long ^{R110 F21} life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches ^R111 and honor. 17 Her ways ^R112 are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. ^R113 18 She is a tree ^R114 of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by ^R115 wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established ^R116 the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps ^R117 were broken up And the skies ^R118 drip with dew.

21 My son, let ^R119 them not vanish ^F22 from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life ^R120 to your soul And adornment ^R121 to your neck. 23 Then you will walk ^R122 in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. ^R123 24 When you lie ^R124 down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do ^R125 not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught ^{R126 F23} of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your ^F24 confidence And will keep ^R127 your foot from being caught.

27 Do ^R128 not withhold good from those ^F25 to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do ^R129 not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you. 29 Do ^R130 not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do ^R131 not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do ^R132 not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious ^R133 are an abomination to the LORD; But He ^F26 is intimate ^R134 with the upright. 33 The curse ^R135 of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses ^R136 the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He ^R137 scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He ^R138 gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The ^R139 wise will inherit honor, But fools display ^F27 dishonor.