Proverbs 1-9

New American Standard Bible

The Usefulness of Proverbs

1 The ^(A)proverbs of Solomon ^(B)the son of David, king of Israel:

²To know ^(C)wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of ^(D)understanding,
³To ^(E)receive instruction in wise behavior,
^(F)Righteousness, justice, and integrity;
⁴To give ^(G)prudence to the naive,
To the youth ^(H)knowledge and discretion,
⁵A wise person will hear and ^(I)increase in learning,
And a ^(J)person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
⁶To understand a proverb and a saying,
The words of the wise and their ^(K)riddles.

⁷^(L)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

⁸^(M)Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
And ^(N)do not ignore your mother’s teaching;
⁹For they are a ^(O)graceful wreath for your head
And ^(P)necklaces for your neck.
¹⁰My son, if sinners ^(Q)entice you,
^(R)Do not consent.
¹¹If they say, “Come with us,
Let’s ^(S)lie in wait for blood,
Let’s ^(T)ambush the innocent without cause;
¹²Let’s ^(U)swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, like those who ^(V)go down to the pit;
¹³We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with plunder;
¹⁴Throw in your lot ^[a]with us;
We will all have one money bag,”
¹⁵My son, ^(W)do not walk on the way with them.
^(X)Keep your feet from their path,
¹⁶For ^(Y)their feet run to evil,
And they are quick to shed blood.
¹⁷Indeed, it is ^[b]useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any ^[c]bird;
¹⁸But they ^(Z)lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
¹⁹Such are the ways of everyone who ^(AA)makes unjust gain;
It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

²⁰^(AB)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She ^[d]raises her voice in the public square;
²¹At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:
²²“How long, you ^(AC)naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking?
And how long will ^(AD)scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools ^(AE)hate knowledge?
²³Turn to my rebuke,
Behold, I will ^(AF)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
²⁴Because ^(AG)I called and you ^(AH)refused,
I ^(AI)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
²⁵And you ^(AJ)neglected all my advice
And did not ^(AK)want my rebuke;
²⁶I will also ^(AL)laugh at your ^(AM)disaster;
I will mock when your ^(AN)dread comes,
²⁷When your dread comes like a storm
And your disaster comes like a ^(AO)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸Then they will ^(AP)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will ^(AQ)seek me diligently but will not find me,
²⁹Because they ^(AR)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
³⁰They ^(AS)did not accept my advice,
They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.
³¹So they shall ^(AT)eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be ^(AU)filled with their own schemes.
³²For the ^(AV)faithlessness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
³³But ^(AW)whoever listens to me will live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

2 My son, if you will ^(AX)receive my words
And ^(AY)treasure my commandments within you,
²^(AZ)Make your ear attentive to wisdom;
Incline your heart to understanding.
³For if you cry out for insight,
And ^[e]raise your voice for understanding;
⁴If you seek her as ^(BA)silver
And search for her as for ^(BB)hidden treasures;
⁵Then you will understand the ^(BC)fear of the Lord,
And discover the knowledge of God.
⁶For ^(BD)the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a ^(BE)shield to those who walk in integrity,
⁸Guarding the paths of justice,
And He ^(BF)watches over the way of His godly ones.
⁹Then you will discern ^(BG)righteousness, justice,
And integrity, and every ^(BH)good path.
¹⁰For ^(BI)wisdom will enter your heart,
And ^(BJ)knowledge will be delightful to your soul;
¹¹Discretion will ^(BK)watch over you,
Understanding will guard you,
¹²To ^(BL)rescue you from the way of evil,
From a person who speaks ^(BM)perverse things;
¹³From those who ^(BN)leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ^(BO)ways of darkness;
¹⁴Who ^(BP)delight in doing evil
And rejoice in the perversity of evil;
¹⁵Whose paths are ^(BQ)crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;
¹⁶To ^(BR)rescue you from the strange woman,
From the ^(BS)foreign woman who flatters with her words,
¹⁷Who leaves the ^(BT)companion of her youth
And forgets the ^(BU)covenant of her God;
¹⁸For ^(BV)her house sinks down to death,
And her tracks lead to the ^[f]dead;
¹⁹None ^(BW)who go to her return,
Nor do they reach the ^(BX)paths of life.
²⁰So you will ^(BY)walk in the way of good people
And keep to the ^(BZ)paths of the righteous.
²¹For ^(CA)the upright will live in the land,
And ^(CB)the blameless will remain in it;
²²But ^(CC)the wicked will be eliminated from the land,
And ^(CD)the treacherous will be ^(CE)torn away from it.

The Rewards of Wisdom

3 My son, ^(CF)do not forget my ^[g]teaching,
But have your heart ^(CG)comply with my commandments;
²For ^(CH)length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
³Do not let ^(CI)kindness and truth leave you;
^(CJ)Bind them around your neck,
^(CK)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴So you will ^(CL)find favor and a ^(CM)good ^[h]reputation
In the sight of God and man.
⁵^(CN)Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And ^(CO)do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶In all your ways ^(CP)acknowledge Him,
And He will ^(CQ)make your paths straight.
⁷^(CR)Do not be wise in your own eyes;
^(CS)Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
⁸It will be ^(CT)healing to your ^[i]body
And ^(CU)refreshment to your bones.
⁹^(CV)Honor the Lord from your wealth,
And from the ^(CW)first of all your produce;
¹⁰Then your ^(CX)barns will be filled with plenty,
And your ^(CY)vats will overflow with new wine.
¹¹^(CZ)My son, do not reject the ^[j]discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His rebuke,
¹²For ^(DA)whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
Just ^(DB)as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

¹³^(DC)Blessed is a person who finds wisdom,
And one who obtains understanding.
¹⁴For ^[k]her ^(DD)profit is better than the profit of silver,
And her produce better than gold.
¹⁵She is ^(DE)more precious than ^[l]jewels,
And nothing you desire compares with her.
¹⁶^[m]^(DF)Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are ^(DG)riches and honor.
¹⁷Her ^(DH)ways are pleasant ways,
And all her paths are ^(DI)peace.
¹⁸She is a ^(DJ)tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are those who hold on to her.
¹⁹The Lord founded the earth ^(DK)by wisdom,
He ^(DL)established the heavens by understanding.
²⁰By His knowledge the ^(DM)ocean depths were burst open,
And the ^(DN)clouds drip with dew.
²¹My son, see that ^(DO)they do not escape from your sight;
Comply with sound wisdom and discretion,
²²And they will be ^(DP)life to your soul
And ^(DQ)adornment to your neck.
²³Then you will ^(DR)walk in your way securely,
And your foot will not ^(DS)stumble.
²⁴When you ^(DT)lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
²⁵^(DU)Do not be afraid of sudden danger,
Nor of ^(DV)trouble from the wicked when it comes;
²⁶For the Lord will be ^[n]your confidence,
And will ^(DW)keep your foot from being caught.

²⁷^(DX)Do not withhold good from ^[o]those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
²⁸^(DY)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it to you,”
When you have it with you.
²⁹^(DZ)Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.
³⁰^(EA)Do not contend with a person for no reason,
If he has done you no harm.
³¹^(EB)Do not envy a violent person,
And do not choose any of his ways.
³²For the ^(EC)devious are an abomination to the Lord;
But ^[p]He is ^(ED)intimate with the upright.
³³The ^(EE)curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He ^(EF)blesses the home of the righteous.
³⁴Though ^(EG)He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet ^(EH)He gives grace to the needy.
³⁵^(EI)The wise will inherit honor,
But fools ^[q]increase dishonor.

A Father’s Instruction

4 Listen, my sons, to the ^(EJ)instruction of a father,
And ^(EK)pay attention so that you may ^[r]gain understanding,
²For I give you good ^(EL)teaching;
^(EM)Do not abandon my ^[s]instruction.
³When I was a son to my father,
^(EN)Tender and ^(EO)the only son in the sight of my mother,
⁴He ^(EP)taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart ^(EQ)take hold of my words;
^(ER)Keep my commandments and live;
⁵^(ES)Acquire wisdom! ^(ET)Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶Do not abandon her, and she will guard you;
^(EU)Love her, and she will watch over you.
⁷^(EV)The ^[t]beginning of wisdom is: ^(EW)Acquire wisdom;
And with all your possessions, acquire understanding.
⁸^(EX)Prize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.
⁹She will place ^(EY)on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

¹⁰Listen, my son, and ^(EZ)accept my sayings,
And the ^(FA)years of your life will be many.
¹¹I have ^(FB)instructed you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.
¹²When you walk, your ^(FC)steps will not be hampered;
And if you run, you ^(FD)will not stumble.
¹³^(FE)Take hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your ^(FF)life.
¹⁴^(FG)Do not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil people.
¹⁵Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶For they ^(FH)cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And ^[u]they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
¹⁷For they ^(FI)eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸But the ^(FJ)path of the righteous is like the ^(FK)light of dawn
That ^(FL)shines brighter and brighter until the ^(FM)full day.
¹⁹The ^(FN)way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they ^[v]^(FO)stumble.

²⁰My son, ^(FP)pay attention to my words;
^(FQ)Incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹^(FR)They are not to escape from your sight;
^(FS)Keep them in the midst of your heart.
²²For they are ^(FT)life to those who find them,
And ^(FU)healing to all ^[w]their body.
²³Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For ^(FV)from it flow the springs of life.
²⁴Rid yourself of a ^(FW)deceitful mouth
And ^(FX)keep devious ^[x]speech far from you.
²⁵Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your ^[y]gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
²⁶^(FY)^[z]Watch the path of your feet,
And all your ^(FZ)ways will be established.
²⁷^(GA)Do not turn to the right or to the left;
^(GB)Turn your foot from evil.

Pitfalls of Immorality

5 My son, ^(GC)pay attention to my wisdom,
^(GD)Incline your ear to my understanding,
²So that you may ^(GE)maintain discretion
And your ^(GF)lips may comply with knowledge.
³For the lips of an ^[aa]^(GG)adulteress ^(GH)drip honey,
And her ^[ab]speech is ^(GI)smoother than oil;
⁴But in the end she is ^(GJ)bitter as wormwood,
^(GK)Sharp as a two-edged sword.
⁵Her feet ^(GL)go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.
⁶^[ac]She does not ponder the ^(GM)path of life;
Her ways are ^(GN)unstable, she ^(GO)does not know it.

⁷^(GP)Now then, my sons, listen to me
And ^(GQ)do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁸^(GR)Keep your way far from her,
And do not go near the ^(GS)door of her house,
⁹Otherwise you will give your vigor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
¹⁰And strangers will be filled with your strength,
And your hard-earned possessions will go to the house of a foreigner;
¹¹And you will groan ^[ad]in ^[ae]the end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
¹²And you say, “How I ^(GT)hated instruction!
And my heart ^(GU)disdainfully rejected rebuke!
¹³I did not listen to the voice of my ^(GV)teachers,
Nor incline my ear to my instructors!
¹⁴I was almost in total ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern,
And ^[af]fresh water from your own well.
¹⁶Should your ^(GW)springs overflow into the street,
Streams of water in the public squares?
¹⁷Let them be yours alone,
And not for strangers with you.
¹⁸Let your ^(GX)fountain be blessed,
And ^(GY)rejoice in the ^(GZ)wife of your youth.
¹⁹Like a loving ^(HA)doe and a graceful mountain goat,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be ^[ag]exhilarated always with her love.
²⁰For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an ^[ah]^(HB)adulteress,
And embrace the breasts of a ^(HC)foreigner?
²¹For the ^(HD)ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He ^(HE)observes all his paths.
²²His ^(HF)own wrongdoings will trap the wicked,
And he will be held by the ropes of his sin.
²³He will ^(HG)die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray.

Parental Counsel

6 My son, if you have become a ^(HH)guarantor for your neighbor,
Or have given a handshake for a stranger,
²If you have been ensnared by the words of your mouth,
Or caught by the words of your mouth,
³Then do this, my son, and save yourself:
Since you have come into the ^[ai]hand of your neighbor,
Go, humble yourself, and be urgent with your neighbor to free yourself.
⁴Give no ^(HI)sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids;
⁵Save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand,
And like a ^(HJ)bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶Go to the ^(HK)ant, you ^[aj]^(HL)lazy one,
Observe its ways and be wise,
⁷Which, having ^(HM)no chief,
Officer, or ruler,
⁸Prepares its food ^(HN)in the summer
And gathers its provision in the harvest.
⁹How long will you lie down, you ^[ak]lazy one?
When will you arise from your sleep?
¹⁰“^(HO)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to ^[al]rest,”
¹¹^(HP)Then your poverty will come in like a ^[am]drifter,
And your need like ^[an]an armed man.

¹²A ^(HQ)worthless person, a wicked man,
Is one who walks with a ^(HR)perverse mouth,
¹³Who ^(HS)winks with his eyes, who ^[ao]signals with his feet,
Who ^[ap]points with his fingers;
¹⁴Who, with ^(HT)perversion in his heart, continually ^(HU)devises evil,
Who ^[aq]^(HV)spreads strife.
¹⁵Therefore ^(HW)his disaster will come suddenly;
^(HX)Instantly he will be broken and there will be ^(HY)no healing.

¹⁶There are six things that the Lord hates,
Seven that are an abomination ^[ar]to Him:
¹⁷^(HZ)Haughty eyes, a ^(IA)lying tongue,
And hands that ^(IB)shed innocent blood,
¹⁸A heart that devises ^(IC)wicked plans,
^(ID)Feet that run rapidly to evil,
¹⁹A ^(IE)false witness who declares lies,
And one who ^[as]^(IF)spreads strife among brothers.

²⁰^(IG)My son, comply with the commandment of your father,
And do not ignore the ^[at]teaching of your mother;
²¹^(IH)Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
²²When you ^(II)walk, ^[au]they will guide you;
When you sleep, ^[av]they will watch over you;
And when you awake, ^[aw]they will talk to you.
²³For ^(IJ)the commandment is a lamp and the ^[ax]teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
²⁴To ^(IK)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
²⁵^(IL)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her ^(IM)eyelids.
²⁶For ^(IN)the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And ^[ay]an adulteress ^(IO)hunts for a precious life.
²⁷Can anyone take fire in his lap
And his clothes not be burned?
²⁸Or can a person walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
²⁹So is the one who ^(IP)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her ^(IQ)will not ^[az]go unpunished.
³⁰People do not despise a thief if he steals
To ^(IR)satisfy ^[ba]himself when he is hungry;
³¹But when he is found, he must ^(IS)repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
³²One who commits adultery with a woman is ^(IT)lacking ^[bb]sense;
He who would ^(IU)destroy ^[bc]himself commits it.
³³He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
³⁴For ^(IV)jealousy ^[bd]enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the ^(IW)day of vengeance.
³⁵He will not ^[be]accept any settlement,
Nor will he be ^[bf]satisfied though you make it a large gift.

The Lures of the Prostitute

7 My son, ^(IX)keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
²^(IY)Keep my commandments and live,
And my ^[bg]teaching ^(IZ)as the ^[bh]apple of your eye.
³^(JA)Bind them on your fingers;
^(JB)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend,
⁵So that they may keep you from an ^[bi]adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

⁶For ^(JC)at the window of my house
I looked out ^(JD)through my lattice,
⁷And I saw among the ^(JE)naive,
And discerned among the ^[bj]youths
A young man ^(JF)lacking ^[bk]sense,
⁸Passing through the street near ^(JG)her corner;
And he walks along the way to ^(JH)her house,
⁹In the ^(JI)twilight, in the ^[bl]evening,
In the ^[bm]middle of the night and the darkness.
¹⁰And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
^(JJ)Dressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.
¹¹She is ^(JK)boisterous and rebellious,
Her ^(JL)feet do not remain at home;
¹²She is now in the streets, now ^(JM)in the public squares,
And ^(JN)lurks by every corner.
¹³So she seizes him and kisses him,
^[bn]And with a ^(JO)brazen face she says to him:
¹⁴“^[bo]I was due to offer ^(JP)peace offerings;
Today I have ^(JQ)paid my vows.
¹⁵Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence diligently, and I have found you.
¹⁶I have spread my couch with ^(JR)coverings,
With colored ^(JS)linens of Egypt.
¹⁷I have sprinkled my bed
With ^(JT)myrrh, aloes, and ^(JU)cinnamon.
¹⁸Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;
Let’s delight ourselves with caresses.
¹⁹For ^[bp]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey.
²⁰He has taken a ^(JV)bag of money ^[bq]with him.
At the full moon he will come home.”
²¹With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her ^[br]^(JW)flattering lips she seduces him.
²²Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as ^[bs]one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,
²³Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a ^(JX)bird hurries to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

²⁴Now therefore, my sons, ^(JY)listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
²⁵Do not let your heart ^(JZ)turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
²⁶For many are the ^[bt]victims she has brought to ruin,
And ^(KA)numerous are all those slaughtered by her.
²⁷Her ^(KB)house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.

The Commendation of Wisdom

8 Does not ^(KC)wisdom call,
And understanding ^[bu]raise her voice?
²On top of ^(KD)the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
³Beside the ^(KE)gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:
⁴“To you, people, I call,
And my voice is to ^[bv]mankind.
⁵You ^(KF)naive ones, understand prudence;
And, you ^(KG)fools, understand ^[bw]wisdom!
⁶Listen, for I will speak ^(KH)noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal ^(KI)right things.
⁷For my ^(KJ)mouth will proclaim truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing ^(KK)crooked or perverted in them.
⁹They are all ^(KL)straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who ^(KM)find knowledge.
¹⁰Accept my ^(KN)instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold.
¹¹For wisdom is ^(KO)better than ^[bx]jewels;
And ^(KP)all desirable things cannot compare with her.

¹²“I, wisdom, ^(KQ)dwell with prudence,
And I find ^(KR)knowledge and discretion.
¹³The ^(KS)fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
^(KT)Pride, arrogance, ^(KU)the evil way,
And the ^(KV)perverted mouth, I hate.
¹⁴^(KW)Advice is mine and ^(KX)sound wisdom;
I am understanding, ^(KY)power is mine.
¹⁵By me ^(KZ)kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
¹⁶By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
¹⁷I ^(LA)love those who love me;
And ^(LB)those who diligently seek me will find me.
¹⁸^(LC)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring ^(LD)wealth and righteousness.
¹⁹My fruit is ^(LE)better than gold, even pure gold;
And my yield better than ^(LF)choice silver.
²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
²¹To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may ^(LG)fill their treasuries.

²²“The Lord ^[by]created me ^(LH)at the beginning of His way,
Before His works ^[bz]of old.
²³From eternity I was ^[ca]^(LI)established,
From the beginning, ^(LJ)from the earliest times of the earth.
²⁴When there were no ^(LK)ocean depths, I was born,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵^(LL)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was born;
²⁶While He had not yet made the earth and the ^[cb]fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
²⁷When He ^(LM)established the heavens, I was there;
When ^(LN)He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
²⁸When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became ^[cc]fixed,
²⁹When ^(LO)He set a boundary for the sea
So that the water would not violate His ^[cd]command,
When He marked out ^(LP)the foundations of the earth;
³⁰Then ^(LQ)I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was His delight daily,
^[ce]Rejoicing always before Him,
³¹^[cf]Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having ^(LR)my delight in the sons of mankind.

³²“Now then, sons, ^(LS)listen to me,
For ^(LT)blessed are those who keep my ways.
³³^(LU)Listen to instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
³⁴^(LV)Blessed is the person who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
³⁵For ^(LW)one who finds me finds life,
And ^(LX)obtains favor from the Lord.
³⁶But one who ^[cg]sins against me ^(LY)injures himself;
All those who ^(LZ)hate me ^(MA)love death.”

Wisdom’s Invitation

9 Wisdom has ^(MB)built her house,
She has carved out her seven pillars;
²She has ^[ch]^(MC)prepared her food, she has ^(MD)mixed her wine;
She has also ^(ME)set her table;
³She has ^(MF)sent out her attendants, she ^(MG)calls out
From the ^(MH)tops of the heights of the city:
⁴“^(MI)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who ^(MJ)lacks ^[ci]understanding she says,
⁵“Come, ^(MK)eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
⁶^[cj]Abandon your foolishness and ^(ML)live,
And ^(MM)proceed in the way of understanding.”

⁷One who ^(MN)corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And one who rebukes a wicked person gets ^[ck]insults for himself.
⁸^(MO)Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you;
^(MP)Rebuke a wise person and he will love you.
⁹Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser;
Teach a righteous person and he will ^(MQ)increase his insight.
¹⁰The ^(MR)fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
¹¹For ^(MS)by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
¹²If you are wise, you are wise ^(MT)for yourself,
And if you ^(MU)scoff, you alone will ^[cl]suffer from it.

¹³^[cm]A woman of foolishness is ^(MV)boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding and ^(MW)knows nothing.
¹⁴She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by ^(MX)the high places of the city,
¹⁵Calling to those who pass by,
Who are going straight on their paths:
¹⁶“^(MY)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks ^[cn]understanding she says,
¹⁷“Stolen water is sweet;
And ^(MZ)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
¹⁸But he does not know that the ^[co]dead are there,
That her guests are in the ^(NA)depths of Sheol.

Footnotes

Proverbs 1:14 Lit in the midst of us
Proverbs 1:17 Lit in vain
Proverbs 1:17 Lit possessor of wing
Proverbs 1:20 Lit gives
Proverbs 2:3 Lit give
Proverbs 2:18 Lit departed spirits
Proverbs 3:1 Or law
Proverbs 3:4 Lit understanding
Proverbs 3:8 Lit navel
Proverbs 3:11 Or instruction
Proverbs 3:14 I.e., the profit from Wisdom (personified)
Proverbs 3:15 Lit corals
Proverbs 3:16 Lit Length of days
Proverbs 3:26 Or at your side
Proverbs 3:27 Lit its owners
Proverbs 3:32 Lit His private counsel is
Proverbs 3:35 Lit raise high
Proverbs 4:1 Lit know
Proverbs 4:2 Or law
Proverbs 4:7 Or primary thing is wisdom
Proverbs 4:16 Lit their sleep is robbed
Proverbs 4:19 Or may stumble
Proverbs 4:22 Lit his
Proverbs 4:24 Or lips
Proverbs 4:25 Or eyelids
Proverbs 4:26 I.e., prob. stay on the path
Proverbs 5:3 Lit strange woman
Proverbs 5:3 Lit palate
Proverbs 5:6 Lit That she not watch
Proverbs 5:11 Or at
Proverbs 5:11 Lit your end
Proverbs 5:15 Lit flowing
Proverbs 5:19 Lit intoxicated
Proverbs 5:20 Lit strange woman
Proverbs 6:3 Lit palm
Proverbs 6:6 Lit idle one
Proverbs 6:9 Lit idle one
Proverbs 6:10 Lit lie down
Proverbs 6:11 Lit one who moves about
Proverbs 6:11 Lit a man with a shield
Proverbs 6:13 Lit scrapes
Proverbs 6:13 Lit instructs with
Proverbs 6:14 Lit sends out
Proverbs 6:16 Lit of His soul
Proverbs 6:19 Lit sends out
Proverbs 6:20 Or law
Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
Proverbs 6:23 Or law
Proverbs 6:26 Lit a man’s wife
Proverbs 6:29 Lit be innocent
Proverbs 6:30 Lit his soul
Proverbs 6:32 Lit heart
Proverbs 6:32 Lit his soul
Proverbs 6:34 Lit is the rage of
Proverbs 6:35 Lit lift up the face of any
Proverbs 6:35 Lit willing
Proverbs 7:2 Or law
Proverbs 7:2 Lit pupil
Proverbs 7:5 Lit strange woman
Proverbs 7:7 Lit sons
Proverbs 7:7 Lit heart
Proverbs 7:9 Lit evening of the day
Proverbs 7:9 Lit pupil (of the eye)
Proverbs 7:13 Lit She makes bold her face and says
Proverbs 7:14 Lit Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me
Proverbs 7:19 Lit the man
Proverbs 7:20 Lit in his hand
Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
Proverbs 7:22 Or as a stag goes into a trap; as in some ancient versions, Heb is uncertain
Proverbs 7:26 Lit wounded
Proverbs 8:1 Lit give
Proverbs 8:4 Lit sons of mankind
Proverbs 8:5 Lit heart
Proverbs 8:11 Lit corals
Proverbs 8:22 Or possessed
Proverbs 8:22 Lit from then
Proverbs 8:23 Or consecrated
Proverbs 8:26 Lit outside places
Proverbs 8:28 Lit strong
Proverbs 8:29 Lit mouth
Proverbs 8:30 Or Playing
Proverbs 8:31 Or Playing
Proverbs 8:36 Or misses me
Proverbs 9:2 Lit slaughtered her slaughter
Proverbs 9:4 Lit heart
Proverbs 9:6 Or Abandon the naive
Proverbs 9:7 Lit a blemish
Proverbs 9:12 Lit bear
Proverbs 9:13 Or A foolish woman
Proverbs 9:16 Lit heart
Proverbs 9:18 Lit departed spirits