Proverbs 1-4

English Standard Version

The Beginning of Knowledge

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

²To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
³to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in ^(B)righteousness, justice, and equity;
⁴to give prudence to ^(C)the simple,
    knowledge and ^(D)discretion to the youth—
⁵Let the wise hear and ^(E)increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
⁶to understand a proverb and a saying,
    ^(F)the words of the wise and their ^(G)riddles.

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

The Enticement of Sinners

⁸^(I)Hear, my son, your father's instruction,
    and forsake not your mother's teaching,
⁹for they are ^(J)a graceful garland for your head
    and ^(K)pendants for your neck.
¹⁰My son, if sinners ^(L)entice you,
    do not consent.
¹¹If they say, “Come with us, ^(M)let us lie in wait for blood;
    ^(N)let us ambush the innocent without reason;
¹²like Sheol let us ^(O)swallow them alive,
    and whole, like ^(P)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, ^(Q)do not walk in the way with them;
    ^(R)hold back your foot from their paths,
¹⁶for ^(S)their feet run to evil,
    and they make haste to shed blood.
¹⁷^(T)For in vain is a net spread
    in the sight of any bird,
¹⁸but these men ^(U)lie in wait for their own blood;
    they ^(V)set an ambush for their own lives.
¹⁹^(W)Such are the ways of everyone who is ^(X)greedy for unjust gain;
    ^(Y)it takes away the life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

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

The Value of Wisdom

2 ^(AY)My son, ^(AZ)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 ^(BA)for understanding,
⁴if you seek it like ^(BB)silver
    and search for it as for ^(BC)hidden treasures,
⁵then ^(BD)you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶For ^(BE)the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is ^(BF)a shield to those who ^(BG)walk in integrity,
⁸guarding the paths of justice
    and ^(BH)watching over the way of his ^(BI)saints.
⁹^(BJ)Then you will understand ^(BK)righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
¹⁰for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹^(BL)discretion will ^(BM)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 ^(BN)walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴who ^(BO)rejoice in doing evil
    and ^(BP)delight in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵men whose ^(BQ)paths are crooked,
    ^(BR)and who are ^(BS)devious in their ways.

¹⁶So ^(BT)you will be delivered from the forbidden^[b] woman,
    from ^(BU)the adulteress^[c] with ^(BV)her smooth words,
¹⁷who forsakes ^(BW)the companion of her youth
    and forgets ^(BX)the covenant of her God;
¹⁸^(BY)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 ^(BZ)will inhabit the land,
    and those with integrity will remain in it,
²²but the wicked will be ^(CA)cut off from the land,
    and the treacherous will be ^(CB)rooted out of it.

Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

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

³Let not ^(CG)steadfast love and ^(CH)faithfulness forsake you;
    ^(CI)bind them around your neck;
    ^(CJ)write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴So you will ^(CK)find favor and ^(CL)good success^[e]
    in the sight of God and man.

⁵^(CM)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and ^(CN)do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶In all your ways ^(CO)acknowledge him,
    and he ^(CP)will make straight your paths.
⁷^(CQ)Be not wise in your own eyes;
    ^(CR)fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸It will be ^(CS)healing to your flesh^[f]
    and ^(CT)refreshment^[g] to your bones.

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

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

Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

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

¹⁹^(DI)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding ^(DJ)he established the heavens;
²⁰by his knowledge ^(DK)the deeps broke open,
and ^(DL)the clouds drop down the dew.

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

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

A Father's Wise Instruction

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

¹⁰^(FA)Hear, ^(FB)my son, and accept my words,
    that ^(FC)the years of your life may be many.
¹¹I have ^(FD)taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹²When you walk, ^(FE)your step will not be hampered,
    and ^(FF)if you run, you will not stumble.
¹³^(FG)Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your ^(FH)life.
¹⁴^(FI)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 ^(FJ)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
    ^(FK)and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸But ^(FL)the path of the righteous is like ^(FM)the light of dawn,
    which shines ^(FN)brighter and brighter until ^(FO)full day.
¹⁹^(FP)The way of the wicked is like deep ^(FQ)darkness;
    they do not know over what they ^(FR)stumble.

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