Proverbs 8-11
New American Standard Bible
The Commendation of Wisdom
8 Does not (A)wisdom call,
And understanding [a]raise her voice?
2 On top of (B)the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 Beside the (C)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 [b]mankind.
5 You (D)naive ones, understand prudence;
And, you (E)fools, understand [c]wisdom!
6 Listen, for I will speak (F)noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal (G)right things.
7 For my (H)mouth will proclaim truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing (I)crooked or perverted in them.
9 They are all (J)straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who (K)find knowledge.
10 Accept my (L)instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is (M)better than [d]jewels;
And (N)all desirable things cannot compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, (O)dwell with prudence,
And I find (P)knowledge and discretion.
13 The (Q)fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(R)Pride, arrogance, (S)the evil way,
And the (T)perverted mouth, I hate.
14 (U)Advice is mine and (V)sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (W)power is mine.
15 By me (X)kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
17 I (Y)love those who love me;
And (Z)those who diligently seek me will find me.
18 (AA)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring (AB)wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is (AC)better than gold, even pure gold;
And my yield better than (AD)choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may (AE)fill their treasuries.
22 “The Lord [e]created me (AF)at the beginning of His way,
Before His works [f]of old.
23 From eternity I was [g](AG)established,
From the beginning, (AH)from the earliest times of the earth.
24 When there were no (AI)ocean depths, I was born,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
25 (AJ)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was born;
26 While He had not yet made the earth and the [h]fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27 When He (AK)established the heavens, I was there;
When (AL)He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became [i]fixed,
29 When (AM)He set a boundary for the sea
So that the water would not violate His [j]command,
When He marked out (AN)the foundations of the earth;
30 Then (AO)I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was His delight daily,
[k]Rejoicing always before Him,
31 [l]Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having (AP)my delight in the sons of mankind.
32 “Now then, sons, (AQ)listen to me,
For (AR)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 (AS)Listen to instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34 (AT)Blessed is the person who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
35 For (AU)one who finds me finds life,
And (AV)obtains favor from the Lord.
36 But one who [m]sins against me (AW)injures himself;
All those who (AX)hate me (AY)love death.”
Wisdom’s Invitation
9 Wisdom has (AZ)built her house,
She has carved out her seven pillars;
2 She has [n](BA)prepared her food, she has (BB)mixed her wine;
She has also (BC)set her table;
3 She has (BD)sent out her attendants, she (BE)calls out
From the (BF)tops of the heights of the city:
4 “(BG)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who (BH)lacks [o]understanding she says,
5 “Come, (BI)eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 [p]Abandon your foolishness and (BJ)live,
And (BK)proceed in the way of understanding.”
7 One who (BL)corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And one who rebukes a wicked person gets [q]insults for himself.
8 (BM)Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you;
(BN)Rebuke a wise person and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser;
Teach a righteous person and he will (BO)increase his insight.
10 The (BP)fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For (BQ)by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise (BR)for yourself,
And if you (BS)scoff, you alone will [r]suffer from it.
13 [s]A woman of foolishness is (BT)boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding and (BU)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by (BV)the high places of the city,
15 Calling to those who pass by,
Who are going straight on their paths:
16 “(BW)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks [t]understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
And (BX)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the [u]dead are there,
That her guests are in the (BY)depths of Sheol.
Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked
10 The (BZ)proverbs of Solomon.
(CA)A wise son makes a father glad,
But (CB)a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
2 [v](CC)Ill-gotten gains do not benefit,
But righteousness rescues from death.
3 The Lord (CD)will not allow the [w]righteous to hunger,
But He (CE)will [x]reject the craving of the wicked.
4 Poor is one who works with [y]a lazy hand,
But the (CF)hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
6 (CG)Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But (CH)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The (CI)mentioning of the righteous is a blessing,
But (CJ)the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The (CK)wise of heart will receive commands,
But [z]a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 One (CL)who walks in integrity walks securely,
But (CM)one who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He (CN)who winks the eye causes trouble,
And [aa](CO)a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The (CP)mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But (CQ)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But (CR)love covers all offenses.
13 On (CS)the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But (CT)a rod is for the back of him who has no [ab]sense.
14 Wise people (CU)store up knowledge,
But with (CV)the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
15 The (CW)rich person’s wealth is his [ac]fortress,
The (CX)ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The [ad](CY)wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
17 One who (CZ)is on the path of life follows instruction,
But one who ignores a rebuke goes astray.
18 One (DA)who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are (DB)many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But (DC)one who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is like (DD)choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The (DE)lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools (DF)die for lack of [ae]understanding.
22 It is the (DG)blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.
23 Doing wickedness is like (DH)sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a person of understanding.
24 What (DI)the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the (DJ)desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the (DK)whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the (DL)righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the [af](DM)lazy one to those who send him.
27 The (DN)fear of the Lord prolongs [ag]life,
But the (DO)years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The (DP)hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the (DQ)expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The (DR)way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright,
But (DS)ruin to the workers of injustice.
30 The (DT)righteous will never be shaken,
But (DU)the wicked will not live in the land.
31 The (DV)mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the (DW)perverted tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know (DX)what is acceptable,
But the (DY)mouth of the wicked, what is perverted.
Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked
11 A (DZ)false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a (EA)just weight is His delight.
2 When (EB)pride comes, then comes dishonor;
But with the humble there is wisdom.
3 The (EC)integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the (ED)perversity of the treacherous will destroy them.
4 (EE)Riches do not benefit on the day of wrath,
But (EF)righteousness rescues from death.
5 The (EG)righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But (EH)the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will rescue them,
But the treacherous will (EI)be caught by their own greed.
7 When a wicked person dies, his (EJ)expectation will perish,
And the (EK)hope of strong people perishes.
8 The righteous is rescued from trouble,
But the wicked [ah]takes his place.
9 With his (EL)mouth the godless person destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the (EM)righteous will be rescued.
10 When things (EN)go well for the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked, it is torn down.
12 One who despises his neighbor lacks [ai]sense,
But a person of understanding keeps silent.
13 One (EO)who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
But one who is [aj]trustworthy (EP)conceals a matter.
14 Where there is no (EQ)guidance the people fall,
But in an abundance of counselors there is [ak]victory.
15 One who is a (ER)guarantor for a stranger will certainly suffer for it,
But one who hates [al]being a guarantor is secure.
16 A (ES)gracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
17 A (ET)merciful person does [am]himself good,
But the cruel person [an]does himself harm.
18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
But one who (EU)sows righteousness gets a true reward.
19 One who is steadfast in (EV)righteousness attains life,
But (EW)one who pursues evil attains his own death.
20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the (EX)blameless in their [ao]walk are His (EY)delight.
21 [ap]Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished,
But the [aq]descendants of the righteous will be rescued.
22 As a (EZ)ring of gold in a pig’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the (FA)expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in poverty.
25 A [ar](FB)generous person will be [as]prosperous,
And one who (FC)gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.
26 One who withholds grain, the (FD)people will curse him,
But (FE)blessing will be on the head of him who (FF)sells it.
27 One who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But (FG)one who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
28 One who (FH)trusts in his riches will fall,
But (FI)the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
29 One who (FJ)troubles his own house will (FK)inherit wind,
And (FL)the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted.
30 The fruit of the righteous is (FM)a tree of life,
And (FN)one who is wise [at]gains souls.
31 If (FO)the righteous will be repaid on the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Footnotes
- 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
- Proverbs 10:2 Lit Treasures of wickedness
- Proverbs 10:3 Lit soul of the righteous
- Proverbs 10:3 Lit thrust away
- Proverbs 10:4 Lit an idle hand
- Proverbs 10:8 Lit the foolish of lips
- Proverbs 10:10 Lit the foolish of lips
- Proverbs 10:13 Lit heart
- Proverbs 10:15 Lit strong city
- Proverbs 10:16 Or work
- Proverbs 10:21 Lit heart
- Proverbs 10:26 Lit idle one
- Proverbs 10:27 Lit days
- Proverbs 11:8 Lit enters
- Proverbs 11:12 Lit heart
- Proverbs 11:13 Lit faithful of spirit
- Proverbs 11:14 Lit deliverance
- Proverbs 11:15 Lit those who strike hands
- Proverbs 11:17 Lit his soul
- Proverbs 11:17 Lit ruins his flesh
- Proverbs 11:20 Lit way
- Proverbs 11:21 Lit Hand to hand
- Proverbs 11:21 Lit seed
- Proverbs 11:25 Lit soul of blessing
- Proverbs 11:25 Lit made fat
- Proverbs 11:30 Lit takes
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