Shared Word Translation
Proverbs 1
The Purpose of Proverbs
The proverbs of Solomon son of David,
king of Israel:
To know wisdom and discipline,
to understand words of insight,
to receive discipline in wise conduct,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and let the discerning acquire guidance,
to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
The Beginning of Knowledge
The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Do Not Join Those Who Shed Blood
Hear, my child,
the discipline of your father,
and do not abandon
the instruction of your mother,
for they are a graceful wreath for your head
and ornaments for your neck.
My child,
if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
If they say,
“Come with us;
let us lie in wait for blood;
let us ambush the innocent without cause.
Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
whole, like those who go down to the pit.
We will find all kinds of precious wealth;
we will fill our houses with plunder.
Cast your lot among us;
we will all have one purse”—
my child,
do not walk in the way with them;
keep your foot from their path,
for their feet run toward evil,
and they hurry to shed blood.
For a net is spread in vain
before the eyes of any bird,
but these lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush their own lives.
Such are the paths
of everyone greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life
of the one who possesses it.
Wisdom Calls in the Streets
Wisdom cries aloud in the street;
in the public squares she raises her voice.
At the head of the noisy streets she calls;
at the entrances of the city gates
she speaks her words:
“How long, O simple ones,
will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in scoffing,
and fools hate knowledge?
Turn at my correction.
Look, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Because I called
and you refused,
I stretched out my hand
and no one paid attention;
because you ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my correction,
I also will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when your dread comes,
when your dread comes like a storm
and your disaster comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
Then they will call to me,
but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently,
but they will not find me,
because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the LORD.
They would have none of my counsel;
they despised all my correction.
Therefore they will eat
the fruit of their way
and be filled
with their own schemes.
For the turning away of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
But whoever listens to me
will dwell securely
and will be at ease,
without dread of harm.”