Proverbs 1:8-9:18

English Standard Version

The Enticement of Sinners

⁸^(A)Hear, my son, your father's instruction,
    and forsake not your mother's teaching,
⁹for they are ^(B)a graceful garland for your head
    and ^(C)pendants for your neck.
¹⁰My son, if sinners ^(D)entice you,
    do not consent.
¹¹If they say, “Come with us, ^(E)let us lie in wait for blood;
    ^(F)let us ambush the innocent without reason;
¹²like Sheol let us ^(G)swallow them alive,
    and whole, like ^(H)those who go down to the pit;
¹³we shall find all precious goods,
    we shall fill our houses with plunder;
¹⁴throw in your lot among us;
    we will all have one purse”—
¹⁵my son, ^(I)do not walk in the way with them;
    ^(J)hold back your foot from their paths,
¹⁶for ^(K)their feet run to evil,
    and they make haste to shed blood.
¹⁷^(L)For in vain is a net spread
    in the sight of any bird,
¹⁸but these men ^(M)lie in wait for their own blood;
    they ^(N)set an ambush for their own lives.
¹⁹^(O)Such are the ways of everyone who is ^(P)greedy for unjust gain;
    ^(Q)it takes away the life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

²⁰^(R)Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
    in the markets she raises her voice;
²¹at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
    at ^(S)the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
²²“How long, O ^(T)simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will ^(U)scoffers delight in their scoffing
    and fools ^(V)hate knowledge?
²³If you turn at my reproof,^[a]
behold, I will ^(W)pour out my spirit to you;
    I will make my words known to you.
²⁴^(X)Because I have called and ^(Y)you refused to listen,
    have ^(Z)stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
²⁵because you have ^(AA)ignored all my counsel
    and ^(AB)would have none of my reproof,
²⁶I also ^(AC)will laugh at your calamity;
    I will mock when ^(AD)terror strikes you,
²⁷when terror strikes you like ^(AE)a storm
    and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
    when distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸^(AF)Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
    they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
²⁹Because they ^(AG)hated knowledge
    and ^(AH)did not choose the fear of the Lord,
³⁰^(AI)would have none of my counsel
    and ^(AJ)despised all my reproof,
³¹therefore they shall eat ^(AK)the fruit of their way,
    and have ^(AL)their fill of their own devices.
³²For the simple are killed by ^(AM)their turning away,
    and ^(AN)the complacency of fools destroys them;
³³but ^(AO)whoever listens to me will dwell secure
    and will be ^(AP)at ease, without dread of disaster.”

The Value of Wisdom

2 ^(AQ)My son, ^(AR)if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
²making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
³yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice ^(AS)for understanding,
⁴if you seek it like ^(AT)silver
    and search for it as for ^(AU)hidden treasures,
⁵then ^(AV)you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶For ^(AW)the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is ^(AX)a shield to those who ^(AY)walk in integrity,
⁸guarding the paths of justice
    and ^(AZ)watching over the way of his ^(BA)saints.
⁹^(BB)Then you will understand ^(BC)righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
¹⁰for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹^(BD)discretion will ^(BE)watch over you,
    understanding will guard you,
¹²delivering you from the way of evil,
    from men of perverted speech,
¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to ^(BF)walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴who ^(BG)rejoice in doing evil
    and ^(BH)delight in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵men whose ^(BI)paths are crooked,
    ^(BJ)and who are ^(BK)devious in their ways.

¹⁶So ^(BL)you will be delivered from the forbidden^[b] woman,
    from ^(BM)the adulteress^[c] with ^(BN)her smooth words,
¹⁷who forsakes ^(BO)the companion of her youth
    and forgets ^(BP)the covenant of her God;
¹⁸^(BQ)for her house sinks down to death,
    and her paths to the departed;^[d]
¹⁹none who go to her come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.

²⁰So you will walk in the way of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹For the upright ^(BR)will inhabit the land,
    and those with integrity will remain in it,
²²but the wicked will be ^(BS)cut off from the land,
    and the treacherous will be ^(BT)rooted out of it.

Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

3 ^(BU)My son, do not forget my teaching,
^(BV)but let your heart keep my commandments,
²for ^(BW)length of days and years of life
and ^(BX)peace they will add to you.

³Let not ^(BY)steadfast love and ^(BZ)faithfulness forsake you;
    ^(CA)bind them around your neck;
    ^(CB)write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴So you will ^(CC)find favor and ^(CD)good success^[e]
    in the sight of God and man.

⁵^(CE)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and ^(CF)do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶In all your ways ^(CG)acknowledge him,
    and he ^(CH)will make straight your paths.
⁷^(CI)Be not wise in your own eyes;
    ^(CJ)fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸It will be ^(CK)healing to your flesh^[f]
    and ^(CL)refreshment^[g] to your bones.

⁹Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with ^(CM)the firstfruits of all your produce;
¹⁰then your ^(CN)barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.

¹¹^(CO)My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
¹²for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as ^(CP)a father the son in whom he delights.

Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

¹³^(CQ)Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
    and the one who gets understanding,
¹⁴^(CR)for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
    and her profit better than ^(CS)gold.
¹⁵She is more precious than ^(CT)jewels,
    and ^(CU)nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶^(CV)Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are ^(CW)riches and honor.
¹⁷Her ^(CX)ways are ways of pleasantness,
    and all her paths are peace.
¹⁸She is ^(CY)a tree of life to those who ^(CZ)lay hold of her;
    those who hold her fast are called blessed.

¹⁹^(DA)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding ^(DB)he established the heavens;
²⁰by his knowledge ^(DC)the deeps broke open,
and ^(DD)the clouds drop down the dew.

²¹My son, ^(DE)do not lose sight of these—
    keep sound wisdom and discretion,
²²and they will be ^(DF)life for your soul
    and ^(DG)adornment for your neck.
²³^(DH)Then you will walk on your way securely,
    ^(DI)and your foot will not stumble.
²⁴^(DJ)If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, ^(DK)your sleep will be sweet.
²⁵^(DL)Do not be afraid of sudden terror
    or of ^(DM)the ruin^[h] of the wicked, when it comes,
²⁶for the Lord will be your confidence
    and will ^(DN)keep your foot from being caught.
²⁷^(DO)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,^[i]
    when it is in your power to do it.

²⁸^(DP)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
    tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
²⁹^(DQ)Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
    who ^(DR)dwells trustingly beside you.
³⁰^(DS)Do not contend with a man for no reason,
    when he has done you no harm.
³¹^(DT)Do not envy ^(DU)a man of violence
    and do not choose any of his ways,
³²for ^(DV)the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the upright are ^(DW)in his confidence.
³³^(DX)The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he ^(DY)blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴Toward the ^(DZ)scorners he ^(EA)is scornful,
    ^(EB)but to the humble he gives favor.^[j]
³⁵The wise will inherit honor,
    but fools get^[k] disgrace.

A Father's Wise Instruction

4 ^(EC)Hear, O sons, a father's instruction,
    and be attentive, that you may ^(ED)gain^[l] insight,
²for I give you good ^(EE)precepts;
    do not forsake my teaching.
³When I was a son with my father,
    ^(EF)tender, ^(EG)the only one in the sight of my mother,
⁴he ^(EH)taught me and said to me,
^(EI)“Let your heart hold fast my words;
    ^(EJ)keep my commandments, and live.
⁵^(EK)Get wisdom; get ^(EL)insight;
    do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
    ^(EM)love her, and she will guard you.
⁷^(EN)The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
    and whatever you get, get ^(EO)insight.
⁸Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
    she will ^(EP)honor you ^(EQ)if you embrace her.
⁹She will place on your head ^(ER)a graceful garland;
    she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

¹⁰^(ES)Hear, ^(ET)my son, and accept my words,
    that ^(EU)the years of your life may be many.
¹¹I have ^(EV)taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹²When you walk, ^(EW)your step will not be hampered,
    and ^(EX)if you run, you will not stumble.
¹³^(EY)Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your ^(EZ)life.
¹⁴^(FA)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
¹⁵Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶For they ^(FB)cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness
    ^(FC)and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸But ^(FD)the path of the righteous is like ^(FE)the light of dawn,
    which shines ^(FF)brighter and brighter until ^(FG)full day.
¹⁹^(FH)The way of the wicked is like deep ^(FI)darkness;
    they do not know over what they ^(FJ)stumble.

²⁰^(FK)My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹^(FL)Let them not escape from your sight;
    ^(FM)keep them within your heart.
²²For they are ^(FN)life to those who find them,
    and healing to all their^[m] flesh.
²³Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for ^(FO)from it flow ^(FP)the springs of life.
²⁴Put away from you ^(FQ)crooked speech,
    and put ^(FR)devious talk far from you.
²⁵^(FS)Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶^(FT)Ponder^[n] the path of your feet;
    ^(FU)then all your ways will be sure.
²⁷^(FV)Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.

Warning Against Adultery

5 ^(FW)My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
    ^(FX)incline your ear to my understanding,
²that you may keep ^(FY)discretion,
    and your lips may ^(FZ)guard knowledge.
³For the lips of ^(GA)a forbidden^[o] woman drip honey,
    and her speech^[p] is ^(GB)smoother than oil,
⁴but in the end she is ^(GC)bitter as ^(GD)wormwood,
    ^(GE)sharp as ^(GF)a two-edged sword.
⁵Her feet ^(GG)go down to death;
    her steps follow the path to^[q] Sheol;
⁶she ^(GH)does not ponder the path of life;
    her ways wander, and she does not know it.

⁷And ^(GI)now, O sons, listen to me,
    and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
⁸Keep your way far from her,
    and do not go near the door of her house,
⁹lest you give your honor to others
    and your years to the merciless,
¹⁰lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
    and your ^(GJ)labors go to the house of a foreigner,
¹¹and at the end of your life you ^(GK)groan,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
¹²and you say, ^(GL)“How I hated discipline,
    and my heart ^(GM)despised reproof!
¹³I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
    or incline my ear to my instructors.
¹⁴^(GN)I am at the brink of utter ruin
    in the assembled congregation.”

¹⁵Drink ^(GO)water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
¹⁶Should your ^(GP)springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water ^(GQ)in the streets?
¹⁷^(GR)Let them be for yourself alone,
    and not for strangers with you.
¹⁸Let your ^(GS)fountain be blessed,
    and ^(GT)rejoice in ^(GU)the wife of your youth,
¹⁹    a lovely ^(GV)deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts ^(GW)fill you at all times with delight;
    be intoxicated^[r] always in her love.
²⁰Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with ^(GX)a forbidden woman
    and embrace the bosom of ^(GY)an adulteress?^[s]
²¹For ^(GZ)a man's ways are ^(HA)before the eyes of the Lord,
    and he ^(HB)ponders^[t] all his paths.
²²The ^(HC)iniquities of the wicked ^(HD)ensnare him,
    and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
²³^(HE)He dies for lack of discipline,
    and because of his great folly he is ^(HF)led astray.

Practical Warnings

6 My son, if you have put up ^(HG)security for your neighbor,
    have ^(HH)given your pledge for a stranger,
²if you are ^(HI)snared in the words of your mouth,
    caught in the words of your mouth,
³then do this, my son, and save yourself,
    for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
    go, hasten,^[u] and ^(HJ)plead urgently with your neighbor.
⁴^(HK)Give your eyes no sleep
    and your eyelids no slumber;
⁵save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,^[v]
    ^(HL)like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶^(HM)Go to ^(HN)the ant, O ^(HO)sluggard;
    consider her ways, and ^(HP)be wise.
⁷^(HQ)Without having any chief,
    ^(HR)officer, or ruler,
⁸she prepares her bread ^(HS)in summer
    and ^(HT)gathers her food in harvest.
⁹^(HU)How long will you lie there, ^(HV)O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
¹⁰^(HW)A little sleep, a little slumber,
    ^(HX)a little ^(HY)folding of the hands to rest,
¹¹^(HZ)and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

¹²^(IA)A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with ^(IB)crooked speech,
¹³^(IC)winks with his eyes, signals^[w] with his feet,
    points with his finger,
¹⁴with ^(ID)perverted heart ^(IE)devises evil,
    continually ^(IF)sowing discord;
¹⁵therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
    ^(IG)in a moment he will be broken ^(IH)beyond healing.

¹⁶There are ^(II)six things that the Lord hates,
    ^(IJ)seven that are an abomination to him:
¹⁷^(IK)haughty eyes, ^(IL)a lying tongue,
    and ^(IM)hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸^(IN)a heart that devises wicked plans,
    ^(IO)feet that make haste to run to evil,
¹⁹^(IP)a false witness who ^(IQ)breathes out lies,
    and one who ^(IR)sows discord among brothers.

Warnings Against Adultery

²⁰^(IS)My son, keep your father's commandment,
    ^(IT)and forsake not your mother's teaching.
²¹^(IU)Bind them on your heart always;
    ^(IV)tie them around your neck.
²²^(IW)When you walk, they^[x] will lead you;
    ^(IX)when you lie down, they will ^(IY)watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.
²³For the commandment is ^(IZ)a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the ^(JA)reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
²⁴to preserve you from the evil woman,^[y]
    from the smooth tongue of ^(JB)the adulteress.^[z]
²⁵^(JC)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
    and do not let her capture you with her ^(JD)eyelashes;
²⁶for ^(JE)the price of a prostitute is only ^(JF)a loaf of bread,^[aa]
    but a married woman^[ab] ^(JG)hunts down a precious life.
²⁷Can a man carry ^(JH)fire next to his ^(JI)chest
    and his clothes not be burned?
²⁸Or can one ^(JJ)walk on hot coals
    and his feet not be scorched?
²⁹So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife;
    none who touches her ^(JK)will go unpunished.
³⁰People do not despise a thief if he steals
    to ^(JL)satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
³¹but ^(JM)if he is caught, he will pay ^(JN)sevenfold;
    he will give all the goods of his house.
³²He who commits adultery lacks sense;
    he who does it destroys himself.
³³He will get wounds and dishonor,
    and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
³⁴For ^(JO)jealousy makes a man furious,
    and he will not spare when ^(JP)he takes revenge.
³⁵He will accept no compensation;
    he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

Warning Against the Adulteress

7 ^(JQ)My son, keep my words
    and ^(JR)treasure up my commandments with you;
²^(JS)keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teaching as ^(JT)the apple of your eye;
³^(JU)bind them on your fingers;
    ^(JV)write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and call insight your intimate friend,
⁵to keep you from ^(JW)the forbidden^[ac] woman,
    from ^(JX)the adulteress^[ad] with her smooth words.

⁶For at ^(JY)the window of my house
    I have looked out through my lattice,
⁷and I have seen among ^(JZ)the simple,
    I have perceived among the youths,
    a young man ^(KA)lacking sense,
⁸passing along the street ^(KB)near her corner,
    taking the road to her house
⁹in ^(KC)the twilight, in the evening,
    at ^(KD)the time of night and darkness.

¹⁰And behold, the woman meets him,
    ^(KE)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.^[ae]
¹¹She is ^(KF)loud and ^(KG)wayward;
    ^(KH)her feet do not stay at home;
¹²now in the street, now in the market,
    and ^(KI)at every corner she ^(KJ)lies in wait.
¹³She seizes him and kisses him,
    and with ^(KK)bold face she says to him,
¹⁴“I had to ^(KL)offer sacrifices,^[af]
    and today I have ^(KM)paid my vows;
¹⁵so now I have come out to meet you,
    to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
¹⁶I have spread my couch with ^(KN)coverings,
    colored linens from ^(KO)Egyptian linen;
¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with ^(KP)myrrh,
    aloes, and ^(KQ)cinnamon.
¹⁸Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
    let us delight ourselves with love.
¹⁹For ^(KR)my husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey;
²⁰he took a bag of money with him;
    at full moon he will come home.”

²¹With much seductive speech she persuades him;
    with ^(KS)her smooth talk she compels him.
²²All at once he follows her,
    as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast^[ag]
²³    till an arrow pierces its liver;
as ^(KT)a bird rushes into a snare;
    he does not know that it will cost him his life.

²⁴And ^(KU)now, O sons, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
²⁵Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths,
²⁶for many a victim has she laid low,
    and all her slain are ^(KV)a mighty throng.
²⁷Her house is ^(KW)the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.

The Blessings of Wisdom

8 Does not ^(KX)wisdom call?
    Does not ^(KY)understanding raise her voice?
²On ^(KZ)the heights beside the way,
    at the crossroads she takes her stand;
³beside ^(LA)the gates in front of ^(LB)the town,
    at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
⁴“To you, O ^(LC)men, I call,
    and my cry is to ^(LD)the children of man.
⁵O ^(LE)simple ones, learn ^(LF)prudence;
    O ^(LG)fools, learn sense.
⁶Hear, for I will speak ^(LH)noble things,
    and from my lips will come ^(LI)what is right,
⁷for my ^(LJ)mouth will utter truth;
    wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;
    there is nothing ^(LK)twisted or crooked in them.
⁹They are all ^(LL)straight to him who understands,
    and right to those who find knowledge.
¹⁰^(LM)Take my instruction instead of silver,
    and knowledge rather than choice gold,
¹¹^(LN)for wisdom is better than jewels,
    and ^(LO)all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹²“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and ^(LP)discretion.
¹³^(LQ)The fear of the Lord is ^(LR)hatred of evil.
^(LS)Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
    and ^(LT)perverted speech I hate.
¹⁴I have ^(LU)counsel and ^(LV)sound wisdom;
    I have insight; ^(LW)I have strength.
¹⁵By me ^(LX)kings reign,
    and rulers decree what is just;
¹⁶by me princes rule,
    and nobles, all who govern justly.^[ah]
¹⁷^(LY)I love those who love me,
    and ^(LZ)those who seek me diligently find me.
¹⁸^(MA)Riches and honor are with me,
    ^(MB)enduring wealth and ^(MC)righteousness.
¹⁹My fruit is ^(MD)better than ^(ME)gold, even fine gold,
    and my yield than ^(MF)choice silver.
²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,
    in the paths of justice,
²¹granting an inheritance to those who love me,
    and filling their treasuries.

²²^(MG)“The Lord ^(MH)possessed^[ai] me at the beginning of his work,^[aj]
    the first of his acts ^(MI)of old.
²³Ages ago I was ^(MJ)set up,
    at the first, ^(MK)before the beginning of the earth.
²⁴When there were no ^(ML)depths I was ^(MM)brought forth,
    when there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵Before the mountains ^(MN)had been shaped,
    ^(MO)before the hills, I was brought forth,
²⁶before he had made the earth with its fields,
    or the first of the dust of the world.
²⁷When he ^(MP)established the heavens, I was there;
    when he drew ^(MQ)a circle on the face of the deep,
²⁸when he ^(MR)made firm the skies above,
    when he established^[ak] the fountains of the deep,
²⁹when he ^(MS)assigned to the sea its ^(MT)limit,
    so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out ^(MU)the foundations of the earth,
³⁰    then ^(MV)I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his^[al] ^(MW)delight,
    rejoicing before him always,
³¹^(MX)rejoicing in his ^(MY)inhabited world
    and delighting in the children of man.

³²“And now, ^(MZ)O sons, listen to me:
    ^(NA)blessed are those who keep my ways.
³³^(NB)Hear instruction and be wise,
    and do not neglect it.
³⁴^(NC)Blessed is the one who listens to me,
    watching daily at my gates,
    waiting beside my doors.
³⁵For ^(ND)whoever finds me ^(NE)finds life
    and ^(NF)obtains favor from the Lord,
³⁶but he who fails to find me ^(NG)injures himself;
    all who ^(NH)hate me ^(NI)love death.”

The Way of Wisdom

9 ^(NJ)Wisdom has built her house;
    she has hewn her ^(NK)seven ^(NL)pillars.
²She has ^(NM)slaughtered her beasts; she has ^(NN)mixed her wine;
    she has also ^(NO)set her table.
³She has ^(NP)sent out her young women to ^(NQ)call
    from ^(NR)the highest places in the town,
⁴^(NS)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    ^(NT)To him who lacks sense she says,
⁵“Come, ^(NU)eat of my bread
    and ^(NV)drink of ^(NW)the wine I have mixed.
⁶Leave ^(NX)your simple ways,^[am] and ^(NY)live,
    ^(NZ)and walk in the way of insight.”

⁷Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
    and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
⁸^(OA)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
    ^(OB)reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
⁹Give instruction^[an] to a wise man, and he will be ^(OC)still wiser;
    teach a righteous man, and he will ^(OD)increase in learning.
¹⁰^(OE)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and ^(OF)the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
¹¹For by me ^(OG)your days will be multiplied,
    and years will be added to your life.
¹²^(OH)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
    if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The Way of Folly

¹³^(OI)The woman Folly is ^(OJ)loud;
    she is seductive^[ao] and ^(OK)knows nothing.
¹⁴She sits at the door of her house;
    she takes a seat on ^(OL)the highest places of the town,
¹⁵calling to those who pass by,
    who are ^(OM)going straight on their way,
¹⁶^(ON)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    And to him who lacks sense she says,
¹⁷^(OO)“Stolen water is sweet,
    and ^(OP)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
¹⁸But he does not know ^(OQ)that the dead^[ap] are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Footnotes

Proverbs 1:23 Or Will you turn away at my reproof?
Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew strange
Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew foreign woman
Proverbs 2:18 Hebrew to the Rephaim
Proverbs 3:4 Or repute
Proverbs 3:8 Hebrew navel
Proverbs 3:8 Or medicine
Proverbs 3:25 Hebrew storm
Proverbs 3:27 Hebrew Do not withhold good from its owners
Proverbs 3:34 Or grace
Proverbs 3:35 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
Proverbs 4:1 Hebrew know
Proverbs 4:22 Hebrew his
Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level
Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew strange; also verse 20
Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew palate
Proverbs 5:5 Hebrew lay hold of
Proverbs 5:19 Hebrew be led astray; also verse 20
Proverbs 5:20 Hebrew a foreign woman
Proverbs 5:21 Or makes level
Proverbs 6:3 Or humble yourself
Proverbs 6:5 Hebrew lacks of the hunter
Proverbs 6:13 Hebrew scrapes
Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew it; three times in this verse
Proverbs 6:24 Revocalization (compare Septuagint) yields from the wife of a neighbor
Proverbs 6:24 Hebrew the foreign woman
Proverbs 6:26 Or (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate) for a prostitute leaves a man with nothing but a loaf of bread
Proverbs 6:26 Hebrew a man's wife
Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew strange
Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman
Proverbs 7:10 Hebrew guarded in heart
Proverbs 7:14 Hebrew peace offerings
Proverbs 7:22 Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as a chain to discipline a fool
Proverbs 8:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint govern the earth
Proverbs 8:22 Or fathered; Septuagint created
Proverbs 8:22 Hebrew way
Proverbs 8:28 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Proverbs 8:30 Or daily filled with
Proverbs 9:6 Or Leave the company of the simple
Proverbs 9:9 Hebrew lacks instruction
Proverbs 9:13 Or full of simpleness
Proverbs 9:18 Hebrew Rephaim