King James Bible | New Living Translation |
1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; | 1These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. |
2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; | 2Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. |
3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; | 3Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. |
4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. | 4These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. |
5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: | 5Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance |
6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. | 6by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. |
7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. | 7Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom |
8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: | 8My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. |
9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. | 9What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. |
10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. | 10My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! |
11If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: | 11They may say, “Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! |
12Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: | 12Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave ; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. |
13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: | 13Think of the great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. |
14Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: | 14Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.” |
15My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: | 15My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. |
16For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. | 16They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder. |
17Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. | 17If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. |
18And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. | 18But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. |
19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. | 19Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. Wisdom Shouts in the Streets |
20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: | 20Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. |
21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, | 21She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate: |
22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? | 22“How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge? |
23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. | 23Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise. |
24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; | 24“I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. |
25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: | 25You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. |
26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; | 26So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you— |
27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. | 27when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. |
28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: | 28“When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. |
29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: | 29For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. |
30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. | 30They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. |
31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. | 31Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. |
32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. | 32For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. |
33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. | 33But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” |
King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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