1 THE proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

1The Prouerbes of Solomon the sonne of Dauid, King of Israel,

2To knowe wisedome and instruction, to perceiue the words of vnderstanding,

3To receiue the instruction of wisdome, iustice, and iudgement & equitie,

4To giue subtiltie to the simple, to the yong man knowledge and discretion.

5A wise man wil heare, and wil increase learning: and a man of vnderstanding shall attaine vnto wise counsels:

6To vnderstand a prouerbe, and the interpretation; the wordes of the wise, and their darke sayings.

7 The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction.

8My sonne, heare the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

9For they shall be an ornament of grace vnto thy head, and chaines about thy necke.

10 My sonne, if sinners entise thee, consent thou not.

11If they say, Come with vs, let vs lay wait for blood, let vs lurke priuily for the innocent without cause:

12Let vs swallow them vp aliue, as the graue, and whole, as those that goe downe into the pit:

13Wee shall finde all precious substance, wee shall fill our houses with spoile:

14Cast in thy lot among vs, let vs all haue one purse:

15My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them; refraine thy foot from their path:

16For their feete runne to euil, and make haste to shed blood.

17Surely in vaine the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

18And they lay wait for their owne blood, they lurke priuily for their owne liues.

19So are the waies of euery one that is greedie of gaine: which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

20 Wisedome crieth without, she vttereth her voice in the streets:

21Shee crieth in the chiefe place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she vttereth her words, saying,

22How long, ye simple ones, will ye loue simplicitie? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fooles hate knowledge?

23Turne you at my reproofe: behold, I will powre out my spirit vnto you, I will make knowen my wordes vnto you.

24 Because I haue called, and yee refused, I haue stretched out my hand, and no man regarded:

25But ye haue set at nought all my counsell, & would none of my reproofe:

26I also will laugh at your calamitie, I wil mocke when your feare commeth.

27When your feare commeth as desolation, and your destruction commeth as a whirlewinde; when distresse and anguish commeth vpon you:

28Then shall they call vpon mee, but I will not answere; they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me:

29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the feare of the Lord.

30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproofe.

31Therefore shall they eate of the fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuices.

32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fooles shall destroy them.

33But who so hearkneth vnto mee, shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from feare of euill.

I == 1st Kings 4:32 ; Prov 10:1 ; 25:1 ; Eccl12:9

 

III == Prov 2:1 , 9

IV == Prov 9:4

 

 

 

 

 

VII == Job 28:28 ; Ps 111:10

 

VIII == Prov 4:1 ; 6:20

IX == Prov 3:22

 

X == Gen 39:7-12 ; Ps 1:1 ; Eph 5:11

XI == Jer 5:26

XII == Ps 28:1 ; 143:7

 

 

 

XV == Ps 1:1 ; 119:101 : Prov 4:14

XVI == Isa 59:7 ; Rom 3:15

 

 

 

XIX == Prov 15:27 ; 1st Time 6:10

 

 

 

XXIII == Joel 2:28

XXIV == Isa 65:12 ; 66:4 ; Jer 7:13 ; Zech 7:11

 

 

 

 

XXV == Ps 107:11 ; Prov 1:30 ; Luke 7:30

XXVI == Ps 2:4

 

 

 

XXVIII == Job 27:9 ; 35:12 ; Jer 11:11 ; 14:12

XXIX == Job 21:14 ; Ps 119:173

 

XXXI == Job 4:8 ; Prov 14:14 ; 22:8 ; Isa 3:11 ; Jer 6:19

 

 

XXXIII == Ps 25:12-13 ; 112:7

 

 

1 The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:

2 That men may appreciate wisdom and discipline, may understand words of intelligence;

3 May receive training in wise conduct, in what is right, just and honest;

4 That resourcefulness may be imparted to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

5 A wise man by hearing them will advance in learning, an intelligent man will gain sound guidance,

6 That he may comprehend proverb and parable, the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; wisdom and instruction fools despise.

8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and reject not your mother's teaching;

9 A graceful diadem will they be for your head; a torque for your neck.

10 My son, should sinners entice you,

11 and say, "Come along with us! Let us lie in wait for the honest man, let us, unprovoked, set a trap for the innocent;

12 Let us swallow them up, as the nether world does, alive, in the prime of life, like those who go down to the pit!

13 All kinds of precious wealth shall we gain, we shall fill our houses with booty;

14 Cast in your lot with us, we shall all have one purse!" - 

15 My son, walk not in the way with them, hold back your foot from their path!

16 (For their feet run to evil, they hasten to shed blood.)

17 It is in vain that a net is spread before the eyes of any bird - 

18 These men lie in wait for their own blood, they set a trap for their own lives.

19 This is the fate of everyone greedy of loot: unlawful gain takes away the life of him who acquires it.

20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the open squares she raises her voice;

21 Down the crowded ways she calls out, at the city gates she utters her words:

22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love inanity,

23 how long will you turn away at my reproof? Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, I will acquaint you with my words.

24 "Because I called and you refused, I extended my hand and no one took notice;

25 Because you disdained all my counsel, and my reproof you ignored - 

26 I, in my turn, will laugh at your doom; I will mock when terror overtakes you;

27 When terror comes upon you like a storm, and your doom approaches like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish befall you.

28 "Then they call me, but I answer not; they seek me, but find me not;

29 Because they hated knowledge, and chose not the fear of the LORD;

30 They ignored my counsel, they spurned all my reproof; And in their arrogance they preferred arrogance, and like fools they hated knowledge:

31 "Now they must eat the fruit of their own way, and with their own devices be glutted.

32 For the self-will of the simple kills them, the smugness of fools destroys them.

33 But he who obeys me dwells in security, in peace, without fear of harm."

 Most of the Proverbs were written by Solomon, but some were not compiled until the days of Hezekiah. It is supposed that Solomon wrote the book of Solomon when he was a young man, Proverbs when middle aged, and Ecclesiastes when he was old. Proverbs are written in a type of Hebrew poetic form. Like many proverbs of the world, they express truths for practical living, but unlike the world’s proverbs, these stress the importance of the relationship to God. Some of the Proverbs speak directly of Christ and some have a very spiritual application, but some men make the mistake of trying to “spiritualize” every verse. Some of the books of the Bible instruct obedience to the law and the prophets, but the Proverbs instruct in how to live properly before God and man. About seventeen times it addresses “sons”, indicating value to young people.

v 1-6. The purpose is stated briefly as giving instruction to the young for right living and for gaining discernment.

v 8-19. The foundation of wisdom beginning with the fear of the Lord. Youths are admonished to heed advice of their parents, and warned not to be enticed by sinners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 20-33. Wisdom gives warning. Of special interest is v 28, 29, where those who hate knowledge and do not fear the Lord can call upon Him early but will not find Him. Contrast that with 8:17, those who love the Lord and seek Him early will find Him.