Pro 1 | NASB1995 | STEP | The proverbs of Solomon the son of David , king of Israel :

Proverbs 1

The Usefulness of Proverbs

1 The ^aproverbs of Solomon ^bthe son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know ^cwisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of ^dunderstanding,
3 To ^ereceive instruction in wise behavior,
^fRighteousness, justice and equity;
4 To give ^gprudence to the ^{▼▼ Lit simple ones}naive,
To the youth ⁱknowledge and discretion,
5 A wise man will hear and ^jincrease in learning,
And a ^kman of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their ^lriddles.

7 ^mThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

8 ⁿHear, my son, your father’s instruction
And ^odo not forsake your mother’s teaching;
9 Indeed, they are a ^pgraceful wreath to your head
And ^{▼▼ Lit necklaces
,} ^rornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners ^sentice you,
^tDo not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us ^ulie in wait for blood,
Let us ^vambush the innocent without cause;
12 Let us ^wswallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, as those who ^xgo 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 ^{▼▼ Lit in the midst of us}with us,
We shall all have one purse,”
15 My son, ^zdo not walk in the way with them.
^aaKeep your feet from their path,
16 For ^abtheir feet run to evil
And they hasten to shed blood.
17 Indeed, it is ^{▼▼ Lit in vain}useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any ^{▼▼ Lit possessor of wing}bird;
18 But they ^aelie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who ^afgains by violence;
It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

20 ^agWisdom shouts in the street,
She ^{▼▼ Lit gives}lifts 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 ^{▼▼ Lit simple ones
,} ^ajnaive ones, will you love ^{▼▼ Or naivete}being simple-minded?
And ^alscoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools ^amhate knowledge?
23 “Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will ^anpour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 “Because ^aoI called and you ^aprefused,
I ^aqstretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you ^arneglected all my counsel
And did not ^aswant my reproof;
26 I will also ^atlaugh at your ^aucalamity;
I will mock when your ^avdread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a ^awwhirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will ^axcall on me, but I will not answer;
They will ^ayseek me diligently but they will not find me,
29 Because they ^azhated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 “They ^bawould not accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.
31 “So they shall ^bbeat of the fruit of their own way
And be ^bcsatiated with their own devices.
32 “For the ^bdwaywardness of the ^{▼▼ Lit simple ones}naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 “But ^bfhe who listens to me shall ^{▼▼ Lit dwell}live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”