The Value of Proverbs

11 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 [1]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 .

Wisdom's Warning

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 [2] 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 [3]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 [4]useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any [5]bird e ; 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 [6]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 e , O [7] naive ones , will you love [8]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 e 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 [9]naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 "But he who listens to me shall [10]live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil ."

The Reward of Seeking Wisdom

21 My son , if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom , Incline your heart to understanding ; 3 For if you cry for discernment , Lift your voice for understanding ; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures ; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the Lord And discover the knowledge of God . 6 For the Lord gives wisdom ; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding . 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright ; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity , 8 Guarding the paths of justice , And He preserves the way of His godly ones . 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course .

10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul ; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil , From the man who speaks perverse things ; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness ; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil ; 15 Whose paths are crooked , And who are devious in their ways ; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman , From the adulteress who flatters with her words ; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God ; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead ; 19 None e who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life . 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous . 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

Exhortations to Obedience

31 My son , do not forget my teaching , But let your heart keep my commandments ; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck , Write them on the tablet of your heart . 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man . 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding . 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight .

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes ; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil . 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones . 9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce ; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine . 11 My son , do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His reproof , 12 For whom the Lord loves He reproves , Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights .

13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding . 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold . 15 She is more precious than jewels ; And nothing e you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand ; In her left hand are riches and honor . 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace . 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast . 19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth , By understanding He established the heavens . 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew .

21 My son , let them not vanish from your sight ; Keep sound wisdom and discretion , 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck . 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble . 24 When you lie down , you will not be afraid ; When you lie down , your sleep will be sweet . 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes ; 26 For the Lord will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught .

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due , When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor , "Go , and come back , And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor , While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause , If he has done you no harm . 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways . 32 For the devious are an abomination to the Lord ; But He is intimate with the upright . 33 The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked , But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous . 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers , Yet He gives grace to the afflicted . 35 The wise will inherit honor , But fools display dishonor .