Proverbs 1-9

New American Standard Bible 1995

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

^13 (DC)How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
¹⁴ For her ^(DD)profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.
¹⁵ She is ^(DE)more precious than ^[t]jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.
^16 [u](DF)Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are ^(DG)riches and honor.
¹⁷ Her ^(DH)ways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are ^(DI)peace.
¹⁸ She is a ^(DJ)tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast.
¹⁹ The Lord ^(DK)by wisdom founded the earth,
By understanding He ^(DL)established the heavens.
²⁰ By His knowledge the ^(DM)deeps were broken up
And the ^(DN)skies drip with dew.
²¹ My son, ^(DO)let them not ^[v]vanish from your sight;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
²² So they will be ^(DP)life to your soul
And ^(DQ)adornment to your neck.
²³ Then you will ^(DR)walk in your way securely
And your foot will not ^(DS)stumble.
²⁴ When 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 fear
Nor of the ^[w](DV)onslaught of the wicked when it comes;
²⁶ For the Lord will be ^[x]your confidence
And will ^(DW)keep your foot from being caught.

^27 (DX)Do not withhold good from ^[y]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,”
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 man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
^31 (EB)Do not envy a man of violence
And do not choose any of his ways.
³² For the ^(EC)devious are an abomination to the Lord;
But ^[z]He is ^(ED)intimate with the upright.
³³ The ^(EE)curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He ^(EF)blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴ Though ^(EG)He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet ^(EH)He gives grace to the afflicted.
^35 (EI)The wise will inherit honor,
But fools ^[aa]display dishonor.

¹⁰ Hear, my son, and ^(EZ)accept my sayings
And the ^(FA)years of your life will be many.
¹¹ I have ^(FB)directed you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.
¹² When you walk, your ^(FC)steps will not be impeded;
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 men.
¹⁵ Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶ For they ^(FH)cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And ^[af]they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
¹⁷ For they ^(FI)eat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸ But the ^(FJ)path of the righteous is like the ^(FK)light of dawn,
That ^(FL)shines brighter and brighter until the ^(FM)full day.
¹⁹ The ^(FN)way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they ^[ag](FO)stumble.

²⁰ My son, ^(FP)give attention to my words;
^(FQ)Incline your ear to my sayings.
^21 (FR)Do not let them depart from your sight;
^(FS)Keep them in the midst of your heart.
²² For they are ^(FT)life to those who find them
And ^(FU)health to all ^[ah]their body.
²³ Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For ^(FV)from it flow the springs of life.
²⁴ Put away from you a ^(FW)deceitful mouth
And ^(FX)put devious ^[ai]speech far from you.
²⁵ Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your ^[aj]gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
^26 (FY)Watch the path of your feet
And all your ^(FZ)ways will be established.
^27 (GA)Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
^(GB)Turn your foot from evil.

^7 (GP)Now then, my sons, listen to me
And ^(GQ)do not depart 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,
⁹ Or you will give your vigor to others
And your years to the cruel one;
¹⁰ And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;
¹¹ And you groan at your ^[an]final end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
¹² And you say, “How I have ^(GT)hated instruction!
And my heart ^(GU)spurned reproof!
¹³ “I have not listened to the voice of my ^(GV)teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!
¹⁴ “I was almost in utter ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

¹⁵ Drink water from your own cistern
And ^[ao]fresh water from your own well.
¹⁶ Should your ^(GW)springs be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?
¹⁷ Let them be yours alone
And not for strangers with you.
¹⁸ Let your ^(GX)fountain be blessed,
And ^(GY)rejoice in the ^(GZ)wife of your youth.
¹⁹ As a loving ^(HA)hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be ^[ap]exhilarated always with her love.
²⁰ For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an ^[aq](HB)adulteress
And embrace the bosom of a ^(HC)foreigner?
²¹ For the ^(HD)ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He ^(HE)watches all his paths.
²² His ^(HF)own iniquities will capture the wicked,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.
²³ He will ^(HG)die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

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

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

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

^20 (IG)My son, observe the commandment of your father
And do not forsake the ^[bb]teaching of your mother;
^21 (IH)Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
²² When you ^(II)walk about, ^[bc]they will guide you;
When you sleep, ^[bd]they will watch over you;
And when you awake, ^[be]they will talk to you.
²³ For ^(IJ)the commandment is a lamp and the ^[bf]teaching is light;
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
²⁴ To ^(IK)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the ^[bg]adulteress.
^25 (IL)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her ^(IM)eyelids.
²⁶ For ^(IN)on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,
And ^[bh]an adulteress ^(IO)hunts for the precious life.
²⁷ Can a man ^[bi]take fire in his bosom
And his clothes not be burned?
²⁸ Or can a man walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
²⁹ So is the one who ^(IP)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her ^(IQ)will not ^[bj]go unpunished.
^30 [bk]Men do not despise a thief if he steals
To ^(IR)satisfy ^[bl]himself when he is hungry;
³¹ But when he is found, he must ^(IS)repay sevenfold;
He must give all the ^[bm]substance of his house.
³² The one who commits adultery with a woman is ^(IT)lacking ^[bn]sense;
He who would ^(IU)destroy ^[bo]himself does it.
³³ Wounds and disgrace he will find,
And his reproach will not be blotted out.
³⁴ For ^(IV)jealousy ^[bp]enrages a man,
And he will not spare in the ^(IW)day of vengeance.
³⁵ He will not ^[bq]accept any ransom,
Nor will he be ^[br]satisfied though you give many ^[bs]gifts.

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

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

¹² “I, wisdom, ^(KQ)dwell with prudence,
And I find ^(KR)knowledge and discretion.
¹³ “The ^(KS)fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
^(KT)Pride and arrogance and ^(KU)the evil way
And the ^(KV)perverted mouth, I hate.
¹⁴ “^(KW)Counsel is mine and ^(KX)sound wisdom;
I am understanding, ^(KY)power is mine.
¹⁵ “By me ^(KZ)kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
¹⁶ “By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
¹⁷ “I ^(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.
¹⁹ “My fruit is ^(LE)better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than ^(LF)choicest 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 ^(LG)fill their treasuries.

²² “The Lord possessed me ^(LH)at the beginning of His way,
Before His works ^[co]of old.
²³ “From everlasting I was ^[cp](LI)established,
From the beginning, ^(LJ)from the earliest times of the earth.
²⁴ “When there were no ^(LK)depths I was ^[cq]brought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵ “^(LL)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was ^[cr]brought forth;
²⁶ While He had not yet made the earth and the ^[cs]fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
²⁷ “When He ^(LM)established the heavens, I was there,
When ^(LN)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 ^[ct]fixed,
²⁹ When ^(LO)He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His ^[cu]command,
When He marked out ^(LP)the foundations of the earth;
³⁰ Then ^(LQ)I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
^[cv]Rejoicing always before Him,
^31 [cw]Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having ^(LR)my delight in the sons of men.

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

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

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