The Purpose of Proverbs

¹The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:[#1:1 1Kg 4:32; Pr 10:1; 25:1; Ec 12:9]

²For learning wisdom and discipline;

for understanding insightful sayings;

³for receiving prudent instruction

in righteousness, justice, and integrity;

⁴for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, ,[#1:4 Or simple , or gullible; #1:4 Pr 8:5]

knowledge and discretion to a young man –

⁵let a wise person listen and increase learning,[#1:5 Pr 9:9; 16:21,23]

and let a discerning person obtain guidance –

⁶for understanding a proverb or a parable,[#1:6 Or an enigma]

the words of the wise, and their riddles.

⁷The fear of the Lord

is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Avoid the Path of the Violent

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,

and don’t reject your mother’s teaching,

⁹for they will be a garland of favour on your head[#1:9 Pr 4:9]

and pendants round your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you,[#1:10 Pr 16:29]

don’t be persuaded.

¹¹If they say #– #‘Come with us!

Let’s set an ambush and kill someone.

Let’s attack some innocent person just for fun!

¹²Let’s swallow them alive, like Sheol,[#1:12 Ps 124:3]

whole, like those who go down to the Pit.

¹³We’ll find all kinds of valuable property

and fill our houses with plunder.

¹⁴Throw in your lot with us,

and we’ll all share the loot’ –

¹⁵my son, don’t travel that road with them[#1:15 Ps 1:1; Pr 4:14]

or set foot on their path,

¹⁶because their feet run towards evil

and they hurry to shed blood.

¹⁷It is useless to spread a net

where any bird can see it,

¹⁸but they set an ambush to kill themselves;[#1:18 Lit they ambush for their blood]

they attack their own lives.

¹⁹Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly;[#1:19 Pr 15:27; Ezk 22:27; Hab 2:6–12]

it takes the lives of those who receive it.

Wisdom’s Plea

²⁰Wisdom calls out in the street;

she makes her voice heard in the public squares.

²¹She cries out above the commotion;[#1:21 Lit at the head of]

she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:

²²‘How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance?

How long will you mockers enjoy mocking

and you fools hate knowledge?

²³If you respond to my warning, ,[#1:23 Lit you turn back to my reprimand; #1:23 Pr 3:11; 15:5,31–32]

then I will pour out my spirit on you

and teach you my words.

²⁴Since I called out and you refused,[#1:24 Is 65:12; 66:4; Jr 7:13; Zch 7:11]

extended my hand and no one paid attention,

²⁵since you neglected all my counsel[#1:25 Ps 107:11; Lk 7:30]

and did not accept my correction,

²⁶I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.[#1:26 Ps 2:4]

I will mock when terror strikes you,

²⁷when terror strikes you like a storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when trouble and stress overcome you.

²⁸Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;

they will search for me, but won’t find me.

²⁹Because they hated knowledge,

didn’t choose to fear the Lord ,

³⁰were not interested in my counsel,

and rejected all my correction,

³¹they will eat the fruit of their way[#1:31 Jr 6:19]

and be glutted with their own schemes.

³²For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them,[#1:32 Jr 2:19]

and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

³³But whoever listens to me will live securely

and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.’