Proverbs 1-4

New American Standard Bible

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

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

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

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

3 My son, ^(CF)do not forget my ^[g]teaching,
But have your heart ^(CG)comply with my commandments;
² For ^(CH)length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
³ Do not let ^(CI)kindness and truth leave you;
^(CJ)Bind them around your neck,
^(CK)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So 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.
⁶ In 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.
⁸ It 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;
¹⁰ Then 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,
¹² For ^(DA)whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
Just ^(DB)as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

4 Listen, my sons, to the ^(EJ)instruction of a father,
And ^(EK)pay attention so that you may ^[r]gain understanding,
² For I give you good ^(EL)teaching;
^(EM)Do not abandon my ^[s]instruction.
³ When I was a son to my father,
^(EN)Tender and ^(EO)the only son in the sight of my mother,
⁴ He ^(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.
⁶ Do 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.
⁹ She will place ^(EY)on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty.”