King James New American Standard Bible
  • 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.
  • 1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
  • 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding,
  • 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity;
  • 4 To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion,
  • 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
  • 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles.
  • 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
  • 8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction And do not forsake your mother's teaching;
  • 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck.
  • 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.
  • 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause;
  • 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go 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 us, We shall all have one purse,”
  • 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path,
  • 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood.
  • 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird;
  • 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.
  • 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors.
  • 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She 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 naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?
  • 23 “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
  • 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
  • 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof;
  • 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes,
  • 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.
  • 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,
  • 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD.
  • 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.
  • 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices.
  • 32 “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
  • 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission.