Proverbs 1:1-9:18 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

Proverbs 1:1-9:18

To Know Wisdom

The ^aproverbs of Solomon ^bthe son of David, king of Israel:
2

To know ^awisdom and discipline,

To understand the sayings of ^bunderstanding,

To ^areceive discipline ¹that leads to insight,

^bRighteousness, justice, and equity,

To give ^aprudence to the ¹^bsimple,

To the youth ^cknowledge and discretion;

Let the wise man hear and ^aincrease in learning,

And a ^bman of understanding will acquire guidance,

To understand a proverb and an enigma,

The words of the wise and their ^ariddles.

^aThe fear of ¹Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;

²Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.

The Enticement of Sinners

^aHear, my son, your father’s discipline

And ^bdo not abandon your mother’s ¹instruction;

For they are a ^agarland of grace for your head

And ¹^bornaments about your neck.

My son, if sinners ^aentice you,

^bDo not be willing.

If they say, “Come with us,

Let us ^alie in wait for blood,

Let us ^bambush the innocent without cause;

Let us ^aswallow them alive like Sheol,

And whole, as those who ^bgo down to the pit;

We will find all kinds of precious wealth,

We will fill our houses with spoil;

Cast in your lot ¹with us,

We shall all have one purse,”

My son, ^ado not walk in the way with them.

^bWithhold your feet from their pathway,

For ^atheir feet run to evil

And they hasten to shed blood.

For it is ¹no use that a net is spread

In the sight of any ²bird;

But they ^alie in wait for their own blood;

They ambush their own ¹lives.

So are the paths of everyone who is ^agreedy for gain;

It takes away the ¹life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

^aWisdom shouts in the street,

She gives forth her voice in the square;

At the head of the noisy streets she calls out;

At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:

“How long, O ^asimple ones, will you love simplicity?

And ^bscoffers delight in scoffing

And ¹fools ^chate knowledge?

Turn to my reproof,

Behold, I will ^apour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

Because ^aI called and you ^brefused,

I ^cstretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

And you ^aneglected all my counsel

And were not ^bwilling to accept my reproof;

I will also ^alaugh at your ^bdisaster;

I will mock when your ^cdread comes,

When your dread comes like a storm

And your disaster comes like a ^awhirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will ^acall on me, but I will not answer;

They will ^bseek me earnestly but they will not find me,

Because they ^ahated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of Yahweh.

They ^awere not willing to accept my counsel,

They spurned all my reproof.

So they shall ^aeat of the fruit of their way

And be ^bsatisfied with their own devices.

For the ^aturning away of the simple will kill them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

But ^ahe who listens to me shall dwell securely

And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

Yahweh Gives Wisdom

My son, if you will ^areceive my words

And ^btreasure my commandments within you,

^aTo make your ear pay attention to wisdom,

Incline your heart to discernment;

For if you call out for understanding,

Give your voice for discernment;

If you seek her as ^asilver

And search for her as for ^bhidden treasures;

Then you will understand the ^afear of Yahweh

And find the knowledge of God.

For ^aYahweh gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and discernment.

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright,

A ^ashield to those who walk in integrity,

To guard the paths of justice,

And He ^akeeps the way of His holy ones.

Then you will understand ^arighteousness and justice

And equity—every ^bgood track.

For ^awisdom will enter your heart

And ^bknowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Discretion will ^akeep you,

Discernment will guard you,

To ^adeliver you from the way of evil,

From the man who speaks ^bperverse things;

From those who ^aforsake the paths of uprightness

To walk in the ^bways of darkness;

Who are ^aglad to do evil

And they rejoice in the perversity of evil;

Whose paths are ^acrooked,

And who are devious in their tracks;

To deliver you from the ¹^astrange woman,

From the ²^bforeign woman who flatters with her words;

Who forsakes the close ^acompanion of her youth

And forgets the ^bcovenant of her God;

For ^aher house ¹sinks down to death

And her tracks descend to the ²dead;

All ^awho go to her will not return,

And they will not reach the ^bpaths of life.

So that you will ^awalk in the way of good men

And keep to the ^bpaths of the righteous.

For ^athe upright will dwell in the land

And ^bthe blameless will remain in it;

But ^athe wicked will be cut off from the land

And ^bthe treacherous will be ^ctorn away from it.

Trust, Fear, and Honor Yahweh

My son, ^ado not forget my ¹law,

But let your heart ^bguard my commandments;

For ^alength of days and years of life

And peace they will add to you.

Do not let ^alovingkindness and truth forsake you;

^bBind them around your neck,

^cWrite them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will ^afind favor and ^bgood insight

In the eyes of God and man.

^aTrust in Yahweh with all your heart

And ^bdo not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways ¹^aacknowledge Him,

And He will ^bmake your paths straight.

^aDo not be wise in your own eyes;

^bFear Yahweh and turn away from evil.

It will be ^ahealing to your ¹body

And ^brefreshment to your bones.

^aHonor Yahweh from your wealth

And from the ^bfirst of all your produce;

So your ^abarns will be filled with plenty

And your ^bvats will burst with new wine.

^aMy son, do not reject the ¹discipline of Yahweh

Or loathe His reproof,

For ^awhom Yahweh loves He reproves,

Even ^bas a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

^aHow blessed is the man who finds wisdom

And the man who obtains discernment.

For her ^aprofit is better than the profit of silver

And her produce better than fine gold.

She is ^amore precious than ¹pearls;

And nothing you desire compares with her.

^aLength of days is in her right hand;

In her left hand are ^briches and glory.

Her ^aways are pleasant ways

And all her pathways are ^bpeace.

She is a ^atree of life to those who seize her,

And all those who hold her fast are blessed.

Yahweh ^aby wisdom founded the earth,

By discernment He ^bestablished the heavens.

By His knowledge the ^adeeps were split up

And the ^bskies drip with dew.

My son, ^alet them not deviate from your eyes;

Guard sound wisdom and discretion,

So they will be ^alife for your soul

And ^bgrace for your neck.

Then you will ^awalk in your way securely

And your foot will not ^bstumble.

When you ^alie down, you will not be in dread;

You will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant.

^aDo not be afraid of sudden dread

Nor of the ^bstorm of the wicked when it comes;

For Yahweh will be ¹your confidence

And will ^akeep your foot from being caught.

^aDo not withhold good from ¹those to whom it is due,

When it is in your hand to do it.

^aDo not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will give it,”

When it is there with you.

^aDo not devise ¹harm against your neighbor,

While he lives securely beside you.

^aDo not contend with a man without cause,

If he has dealt you no ¹harm.

^aDo not envy a man of violence

And do not choose any of his ways.

For the ^adevious one is an abomination to Yahweh;

But His ^bsecret council is with the upright.

The ^acurse of Yahweh is on the house of the wicked one,

But He ^bblesses the abode of the righteous.

Though ^aHe scoffs at the scoffers,

Yet ^bHe gives grace to the humble.

^aThe wise will inherit glory,

But ¹fools raise up disgrace.

A Father’s Wise Instruction

Hear, O sons, the ^adiscipline of a father,

And ^bpay attention that you may know understanding,

For I give you ¹sound ^alearning;

^bDo not forsake my ²instruction.

When I was a son to my father,

^aTender and ^bthe only son before my mother,

Then he ^ainstructed me and said to me,

“Let your heart ^bhold fast my words;

^cKeep my commandments and live;

^aAcquire wisdom! ^bAcquire understanding!

Do not forget and do not turn away from the sayings of my mouth.

Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

^aLove her, and she will guard you.

¹^aThe beginning of wisdom is: ^bAcquire wisdom;

And with all your acquiring, acquire understanding.

^aPrize her, and she will exalt you;

She will honor you if you embrace her.

She will give ^afor your head a garland of grace;

She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Hear, my son, and ^areceive my sayings

And the ^byears of your life will be many.

I have ^ainstructed you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in upright tracks.

When you walk, your ^asteps will not be impeded;

And if you run, you ^bwill not stumble.

^aSeize discipline; do not let go.

Guard her, for she is your ^blife.

^aDo not enter the path of wicked men

And do not step into the way of evil men.

Avoid it, do not pass by it;

^aStray from it and pass on.

For they ^ado not sleep unless they do evil;

And ¹they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

For they ^aeat the bread of wickedness

And drink the wine of violence.

But the ^apath of the righteous is like the ^blight of dawn,

That ^cshines brighter and brighter until the ^dfullness of day.

The ^away of the wicked is like thick darkness;

They do not know over what they ¹^bstumble.

My son, ^apay attention to my words;

^bIncline your ear to my sayings.

^aDo not let them deviate from your eyes;

^bKeep them in the midst of your heart.

For they are ^alife to those who find them

And ^bhealing to all his flesh.

Guard your heart with all diligence,

For ^afrom it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you a ^aperverse mouth

And ^bput devious lips far from you.

Let your eyes look directly ahead

And even let your eyelids be fixed straight in front of you.

^aWatch the track of your feet

And all your ^bways will be established.

^aDo not turn to the right nor to the left;

^bTurn your foot from evil.

Warning Against Adultery

My son, ^apay attention to my wisdom,

^bIncline your ear to my discernment;

That you may ^akeep discretion

And that your ^blips may guard knowledge.

For the lips of a ^astrange woman ^bdrip honey

And ^csmoother than oil is her ¹speech;

But her end is ^abitter as wormwood,

^bSharp as a two‑edged sword.

Her feet ^ago down to death,

Her steps take hold of Sheol,

Lest she watch the ^apath of life;

Her tracks are ^bunstable, she ^cdoes not know it.

^aSo now, my sons, listen to me

And ^bdo not turn away from the words of my mouth.

^aKeep your way far from her

And do not go near the ^bdoor of her house,

Lest you give your splendor to others

And your years to the cruel one;

Lest strangers be satisfied by your strength

And by your painful labor, those in the house of a foreigner;

And you groan at your ¹end,

When your flesh and your body are consumed;

And you say, “How I have ^ahated discipline!

And my heart ^bspurned reproof!

I have not listened to the voice of my ^ainstructors,

And I have not inclined my ear to my teachers!

I was almost in utter ruin

In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

Drink water from your own cistern

And ¹fresh water from your own well.

Should your ^asprings be dispersed abroad,

Streams of water in the streets?

Let them be for you alone,

And not for strangers with you.

Let your ^afountain be blessed,

And ^bbe glad in the ^cwife of your youth.

As a loving ^ahind and a graceful doe,

Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;

Be ¹intoxicated always with her love.

So why should you, my son, be intoxicated with a ^astrange woman

And embrace the bosom of a ^bforeign woman?

For the ^aways of a man are before the eyes of Yahweh,

And He ^bwatches all his tracks.

His ^aown iniquities will capture him who is the wicked one,

And with the cords of his sin he will be held fast.

He will ^adie for lack of discipline,

And in the abundance of his ¹folly he will ²stumble in intoxication.

Practical Warnings

My son, if you have become a ^aguarantor for your neighbor,

Have struck your ¹hands in pledge for a stranger,

If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,

Have been caught with the words of your mouth,

Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;

Since you have come into the ¹hand of your neighbor,

Go, humble yourself, and badger your neighbor.

Give no ^asleep to your eyes,

Nor slumber to your eyelids;

Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand

And like a ^abird from the hand of the fowler.

Go to the ^aant, O ^bsluggard,

Observe her ways and be wise,

Which, having ^ano chief,

Officer or ruler,

Prepares her food ^ain the summer

And gathers her provision in the harvest.

How long will you lie down, O sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

“^aA little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to ¹rest”—

^aYour poverty will come in like ¹a vagabond

And your want like ²an armed man.

A ^avile person, a wicked man,

Is the one who walks with a ^bperverse mouth,

Who ^awinks with his eyes, who ¹signals with his feet,

Who ²points with his fingers;

Who with ^aperversity in his heart continually ^bdevises evil,

Who ¹^cspreads contentions.

Therefore ^ahis disaster will come suddenly;

^bInstantly he will be broken and there will be ^cno healing.

There are six things which Yahweh hates,

Even seven which are an abomination ¹to Him:

^aHaughty eyes, a ^blying tongue,

And hands that ^cshed innocent blood,

A heart that devises ^awicked thoughts,

^bFeet that hasten to run to evil,

A ^afalse witness who breathes out lies,

And one who ¹^bspreads strife among brothers.

Warning Against Adultery

^aMy son, observe the commandment of your father

And do not abandon the ¹law of your mother;

^aBind them continually on your heart;

Tie them around your neck.

When you ^awalk about, ¹they will lead you;

When you sleep, ¹they will keep watch over you;

And when you awake, ¹they will speak to you.

For ^athe commandment is a lamp and the ¹law is light;

And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

To ^akeep you from the evil woman,

From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.

^aDo not desire her beauty in your heart,

Nor let her capture you with her ^beyelids.

For ^aon account of ¹a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,

And ²an adulteress ^bhunts for the precious ³life.

Can a man ¹take fire in his bosom

And his clothes not be burned?

Or can a man walk on hot coals

And his feet not be scorched?

So is the one who ^agoes in to his neighbor’s wife;

Whoever touches her ^bwill not ¹go unpunished.

¹Men do not despise a thief if he steals

To ^afill ²himself when he is hungry;

But when he is found, he must ^arepay sevenfold;

He must give all the ¹substance of his house.

The one who commits adultery with a woman is ^alacking a heart of wisdom;

He who would ^bdestroy his soul does it.

Wounds and disgrace he will find,

And his reproach will not be blotted out.

For ^ajealousy ¹enrages a man,

And he will not spare in the ^bday of vengeance.

He will not ¹accept any ransom,

He will not be willing though you give many bribes.

The Adulteress’ Trap

My son, ^akeep my words

And treasure my commandments within you.

^aKeep my commandments and live,

And my ¹law ^bas the ²apple of your eye.

^aBind them on your fingers;

^bWrite them on the tablet of your heart.

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”

And call understanding your intimate friend;

In order to keep you from the strange woman,

From the foreign woman who ¹flatters with her words.

For ^aat the window of my house

I looked out ^bthrough my lattice,

And I saw among the ^asimple,

And discerned among the ¹sons

A young man ^blacking a heart of wisdom,

Passing through the street near ^aher corner;

And he strides along the way to ^bher house,

In the ^atwilight, in the evening of that day,

In the ¹middle of the night, and in the thick darkness.

And behold, a woman comes to meet him,

^aDressed as a harlot and ¹cunning of heart.

She is ^aboisterous and rebellious,

Her ^bfeet do not dwell at home;

Stepping in the streets, stepping ^ain the squares,

And near every corner she ^blies in wait.

So she seizes him and kisses him

¹And with a ^abrazen face she says to him:

“The sacrifices of ^apeace offerings are with me;

Today I ^bpaid my vows.

Therefore I have come out to meet you,

To seek your face earnestly, and I have found you.

I have spread my couch with ^acoverings,

With colored ^blinens of Egypt.

I have sprinkled my bed

With ^amyrrh, aloes, and ^bcinnamon.

Come, then, let us drink our fill as lovers until morning;

Let us delight ourselves with the pleasures of love.

For ¹my husband is not at home,

He has gone on a journey far away;

He took a ^abag of silver in his hand,

On the day of the full moon he will come home.”

With her abundant ¹persuasions she entices him;

With her ^aflattering lips she drives him to herself.

He suddenly follows her

As an ox goes to the slaughter,

Or ¹as one in fetters to the discipline of an ignorant fool,

Until an arrow pierces through his liver;

As a ^abird hastens to the snare,

And he does not know that it will cost him his ¹soul.

So now, my sons, ^alisten to me,

And pay attention to the words of my mouth.

Do not let your heart ^ago astray into her ways,

Do not wander into her pathways.

For many are the slain whom she has cast down,

And ^anumerous are all those killed by her.

The ways to Sheol are in her ^ahouse,

Descending to the chambers of death.

The Blessing of Wisdom

Does not ^awisdom call,

And discernment give forth her voice?

At the top of ^athe heights upon the way,

Where the pathways meet, she takes her stand;

Beside the ^agates, at the opening to the city,

At the entrance of the doors, she makes a shout:

“To you, O men, I call,

And my voice is to the sons of men.

O ^asimple ones, understand prudence;

And, O ^bfools, understand a heart of wisdom.

Listen, for I will speak ^anoble things;

And the opening of my lips will reveal ^bupright things.

For my ^amouth will utter truth;

And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing ^atwisted or crooked in them.

They are all ^astraightforward to him who understands,

And right to those who ^bfind knowledge.

Take my ^adiscipline and not silver,

And knowledge rather than choicest fine gold.

For wisdom is ^abetter than pearls;

And ^ball desirable things cannot compare with her.

“I, wisdom, ^adwell with prudence,

And I find ^bknowledge and discretion.

The ^afear of Yahweh is to hate evil;

^bPride and arrogance and ^cthe evil way

And the mouth of ¹^dperverted words, I hate.

^aCounsel is mine and ^bsound wisdom;

I am understanding, ^cmight is mine.

By me ^akings reign,

And rulers mark out righteousness.

By me princes rule, and nobles,

All who judge rightly.

I ^alove those who love me;

And ^bthose who earnestly seek me will find me.

^aRiches and glory are with me,

Enduring ^bwealth and righteousness.

My fruit is ^abetter than fine gold, even pure gold,

And my produce better than ^bchoice silver.

I walk in the path of righteousness,

In the midst of the pathways of justice,

To give those who love me an inheritance of wealth,

That I may ^afill their treasuries.

“Yahweh possessed me ^aat the beginning of His way,

Before His deeds ¹of old.

From everlasting I was ¹^ainstalled,

From the beginning, ^bfrom the earliest times of the earth.

When there were no ^adepths I was ¹brought forth,

When there were no springs heavy with water.

^aBefore the mountains were settled,

Before the hills I was ¹brought forth;

While He had not yet made the earth and the fields outside,

Nor the first dust of the world.

When He ^aestablished the heavens, I was there,

When ^bHe marked out a circle on the face of the deep,

When He made firm the skies above,

When the springs of the deep became strong,

When ^aHe set for the sea its boundary

So that the water would not pass over His ¹command,

When He marked out ^bthe foundations of the earth;

Then ^aI was beside Him, as a master workman;

And I was a daily delight,

¹Rejoicing always before Him,

¹Rejoicing in the world, His earth,

^aMy delight is in the sons of men.

“So now, O sons, ^alisten to me,

For ^bblessed are they who keep my ways.

^aHear discipline and be wise,

And do not neglect it.

^aHow blessed is the man who hears me,

To watch daily at my doors,

To keep watch at my doorposts.

For ^ahe who finds me finds life

And ^bobtains favor from Yahweh.

But he who ¹sins against me ^adoes violence to his own soul;

All those who ^bhate me ^clove death.”

Wisdom and Foolishness Call Out

Wisdom has ^abuilt her house,

She has hewn out her seven pillars;

She has ¹^aslaughtered her cattle, she has ^bmixed her wine;

She has also ^cprepared her table;

She has ^asent out her maidens, she ^bcalls

From the ^ctops of the heights of the city:

“^aWhoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

To him who ^blacks a heart of wisdom she says,

“Come, ^aeat of my bread

And drink of the wine I have mixed.

¹Forsake your simplicity and ^alive,

And ^bstep into the way of understanding.”

He who ^adisciplines a scoffer receives disgrace for himself,

And he who reproves a wicked man receives injury for himself.

^aDo not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you,

^bReprove a wise man and he will love you.

Give knowledge to a wise man and he will be still wiser,

Make a righteous man know it and he will ^aincrease his learning.

The ^afear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

For ^aby me your days will become many,

And years of life will be added to you.

If you are wise, you are wise ^afor yourself,

And if you ^bscoff, you alone will bear it.

The woman of ¹foolishness is ^aboisterous,

A woman of simplicity, and ^bdoes not know anything.

She sits at the doorway of her house,

On a seat by ^athe high places of the city,

To call to those who pass by that way,

Who are making their paths straight:

“^aWhoever is simple, let him turn in here,”

And to him who lacks a heart of wisdom she says,

“Stolen water is sweet;

And ^abread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

But he does not know that the ¹dead are there,

That those she called are in the ^adepths of Sheol.