| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: | 1The Proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: |
| 2for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; | 2To learn wisdom and moral instruction, and to discern wise counsel. |
| 3for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; | 3To receive moral instruction in skillful living, in righteousness, justice, and equity. |
| 4for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-- | 4To impart shrewdness to the morally naive, and a discerning plan to the young person. |
| 5let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-- | 5(Let the wise also hear and gain instruction, and let the discerning acquire guidance!) |
| 6for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. | 6To discern the meaning of a proverb and a parable, the sayings of the wise and their riddles. |
| 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. | 7Fearing the LORD is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. |
| 8Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. | 8Listen, my child, to the instruction from your father, and do not forsake the teaching from your mother. |
| 9They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. | 9For they will be like an elegant garland on your head, and like pendants around your neck. |
| 10My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. | 10My child, if sinners try to entice you, do not consent! |
| 11If they say, "Come along with us; let's lie in wait for innocent blood, let's ambush some harmless soul; | 11If they say, "Come with us! We will lie in wait to shed blood; we will ambush an innocent person capriciously. |
| 12let's swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; | 12We will swallow them alive like Sheol, those full of vigor like those going down to the Pit. |
| 13we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; | 13We will seize all kinds of precious wealth; we will fill our houses with plunder. |
| 14cast lots with us; we will all share the loot"-- | 14Join with us! We will all share equally in what we steal." |
| 15my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; | 15My child, do not go down their way, withhold yourself from their path; |
| 16for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood. | 16for they are eager to inflict harm, and they hasten to shed blood. |
| 17How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! | 17Surely it is futile to spread a net in plain sight of any bird, |
| 18These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! | 18but these men lie in wait for their own blood, they ambush their own lives! |
| 19Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it. | 19Such are the ways of all who gain profit unjustly; it takes away the life of those who obtain it! |
| 20Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; | 20Wisdom calls out in the street, she shouts loudly in the plazas; |
| 21on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: | 21at the head of the noisy streets she calls, in the entrances of the gates in the city she utters her words: |
| 22"How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? | 22"How long will you simpletons love naivete? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? |
| 23Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings. | 23If only you will respond to my rebuke, then I will pour out my thoughts to you and I will make my words known to you. |
| 24But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, | 24However, because I called but you refused to listen, because I stretched out my hand but no one paid attention, |
| 25since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, | 25because you neglected all my advice, and did not comply with my rebuke, |
| 26I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-- | 26so I myself will laugh when disaster strikes you, I will mock when what you dread comes, |
| 27when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. | 27when what you dread comes like a whirlwind, and disaster strikes you like a devastating storm, when distressing trouble comes on you. |
| 28"Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, | 28Then they will call to me, but I will not answer; they will diligently seek me, but they will not find me. |
| 29since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. | 29Because they hated moral knowledge, and did not choose to fear the LORD, |
| 30Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, | 30they did not comply with my advice, they spurned all my rebuke. |
| 31they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. | 31Therefore they will eat from the fruit of their way, and they will be stuffed full of their own counsel. |
| 32For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; | 32For the waywardness of the simpletons will kill them, and the careless ease of fools will destroy them. |
| 33but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm." | 33But the one who listens to me will live in security, and will be at ease from the dread of harm. |
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