Proverbs 1

1 ¹ The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

² To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, ³ to receive instruction in wise conduct, in righteousness, justice, and fairness, ⁴ to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young ⁵ let the wise also hear and increase in learning, and let the one who understands gain guidance, ⁶ to understand a proverb and a parable, the words of the wise and their riddles.

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

A Father's Voice to His Son

⁸ Listen, my son, to your father's instruction, and don't turn away from your mother's teaching, ⁹ for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in. ¹¹ If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause; ¹² like the grave let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; ¹³ we will find all kinds of precious goods, we will fill our houses with plunder; ¹⁴ throw in your lot with us; we will all share one purse ¹⁵ my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, ¹⁶ for their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed blood. ¹⁷ For a net spread out before any bird's eyes catches nothing; ¹⁸ but these lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives. ¹⁹ Such are the ways of everyone greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom in the Streets

²⁰ Wisdom cries aloud in the street; in the open squares she lifts her voice. ²¹ At the head of the noisy streets she calls out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

²² "How long, simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will mockers delight in their mocking and fools hate knowledge? ²³ If you respond to my correction, I, Wisdom — Jesus, the wisdom of our Father — will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. ^a a v23 Wisdom who speaks here is identified by Paul as Christ — the wisdom of our Father (1 Corinthians 1:24, 1:30; Colossians 1:15-17). The Son who was with the Father before creation calls out to all who will turn and listen. ²⁴ Because I have called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention, ²⁵ and you ignored all my counsel and rejected all my correction, ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror overtakes you, ²⁷ when terror overtakes you 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 earnestly but will not find me, ²⁹ because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of our Father, ³⁰ they rejected my counsel and despised all my correction. ³¹ So they will eat the fruit of their own way and have their fill of their own schemes. ³² For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; ³³ but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and be at ease, without dread of disaster.