Proverbs

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

1These are the wise sayings of Solomon, son of David and king of Israel.

2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

2They are here so you can learn wisdom and accept correction, and understand words that make things clear.

3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

3They teach you how to live wisely, and how to do what is right, fair, and honest.

4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

4They give good sense to people who are easily fooled, and knowledge and careful thinking to the young.

NoteThe KJV says "subtilty," which sounds sneaky today. In 1611 it meant good sense and careful judgment. "Simple" here does not mean stupid. It means someone young or inexperienced who is easy to fool.

5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

5Let the wise person listen and learn even more, and let the person who understands get good advice.

6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

6Then you can understand a proverb and what it means, and the sayings and riddles of wise people.

7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

7Deep respect for the LORD is where knowledge begins. But fools look down on wisdom and refuse to be taught.

Note"The fear of the LORD" does not mean being scared of God. It means taking God seriously, with deep respect.

8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

8My son, listen when your father corrects you, and do not turn away from what your mother teaches.

9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

9Their teaching will look good on you, like a wreath on your head or a necklace around your neck.

10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

10My son, if sinners try to talk you into joining them, do not give in.

11If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

11They may say, "Come with us. Let's hide and wait to kill someone. Let's ambush someone innocent for no reason.

12Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

12Let's swallow them alive, like the grave does. Let's take them whole, like people who drop into a deep pit.

Note"The grave" and "the pit" both translate the Hebrew word Sheol, the place of the dead. The gang is bragging that it can make people vanish.

13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

13We will find all kinds of valuable things. We will fill our houses with what we take.

14Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

14Join up with us. We will share one money bag."

15My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

15My son, do not go along the road with them. Keep your feet off their path.

16For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

16Their feet run toward evil, and they hurry to kill.

17Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

17It is useless to spread a net where a bird can watch you do it.

18And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

18But these men are setting a trap for themselves. They are ambushing their own lives.

19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

19That is how it ends for everyone greedy for money that is not theirs. It kills the ones who grab it.

20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

20Wisdom shouts out in the street. She raises her voice in the open square.

21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

21She calls out where the crowds gather, and at the city gates. In the city she speaks up and says:

22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

22"How long will you who are easily fooled love your foolish ways? How long will you mock and hate knowledge?

23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

23Turn around when I correct you. Then I will pour out my spirit on you and tell you what I know.

24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

24I called out, and you refused. I held out my hand, and nobody paid attention.

25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

25You brushed aside every piece of advice I gave. You wanted none of my correction.

26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

26So I will laugh when disaster hits you. I will make fun of you when terror arrives,

27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

27when the thing you dread rolls in like a storm, and ruin comes like a whirlwind, and trouble and pain crush you.

28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

28Then they will call to me, but I will not answer. They will search hard for me, but they will not find me.

29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

29This is because they hated knowledge and chose not to respect the LORD.

30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

30They would not take my advice. They looked down on every correction I gave.

31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

31So they will eat the fruit that grew from their own choices, and get their fill of their own plans.

32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

32People who are easily fooled are killed by wandering off. Fools are destroyed by their comfortable, careless life.

NoteThe KJV says "prosperity of fools." The word means being at ease and untroubled, so comfortable that you stop paying attention.

33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

33But whoever listens to me will live in safety, calm and unafraid of harm."