Chapter 1
1: The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2: for learning what wisdom and discipline are, for understanding words of deep meaning,
3: for acquiring a disciplined insight, uprightness, justice and fair dealing;
4: for teaching sound judgment to the simple, and knowledge and reflection to the young;
5: Let the wise listen and learn yet more, and a person of discernment will acquire the art of guidance.
6: for perceiving the meaning of proverbs and obscure sayings, the sayings of the sages and their riddles.
7: The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; fools spurn wisdom and discipline.
8: Listen, my child, to your father's instruction, do not reject your mother's teaching:
9: they will be a crown of grace for your head, a circlet for your neck.
10: My child, if sinners try to seduce you, do not go with them.
11: If they say, 'Come with us: let us lie in ambush to shed blood; if we plan an ambush for the innocent without provocation,
12: we can swallow them alive, like Sheol, and whole, like those who sink into oblivion.
13: We shall find treasures of every sort, we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14: throw in your lot with us: one purse between us all.'
15: My child, do not follow them in their way, keep your steps out of their path
16: for their feet hasten to evil, they are quick to shed blood;
17: for the net is spread in vain if any winged creature can see it.
18: It is for their own blood such people lie in wait, their ambush is against their own selves!
19: Such are the paths of all who seek dishonest gain: which robs of their lives all who take it for their own.
20: Wisdom calls aloud in the streets, she raises her voice in the public squares;
21: she calls out at the street corners, she delivers her message at the city gates.
22: 'You simple people, how much longer will you cling to your simple ways? How much longer will mockers revel in their mocking and fools go on hating knowledge?
23: Pay attention to my warning. To you I will pour out my heart and tell you what I have to say.
24: Since I have called and you have refused me, since I have beckoned and no one has taken notice,
25: since you have ignored all my advice and rejected all my warnings,
26: I, for my part, shall laugh at your distress, I shall jeer when terror befalls you,
27: when terror befalls you, like a storm, when your distress arrives, like a whirlwind, when ordeal and anguish bear down on you.
28: Then they will call me, but I shall not answer, they will look eagerly for me and will not find me.
29: They have hated knowledge, they have not chosen the fear of Yahweh,
30: they have taken no notice of my advice, they have spurned all my warnings:
31: so they will have to eat the fruits of their own ways of life, and choke themselves with their own scheming.
32: For the errors of the simple lead to their death, the complacency of fools works their own ruin;
33: but whoever listens to me may live secure, will have quiet, fearing no mischance.
1: My child, if you take my words to heart, if you set store by my commandments,
2: tuning your ear to wisdom, tuning your heart to understanding,
3: yes, if your plea is for clear perception, if you cry out for understanding,
4: if you look for it as though for silver, search for it as though for buried treasure,
5: then you will understand what the fear of Yahweh is, and discover the knowledge of God.
6: For Yahweh himself is giver of wisdom, from his mouth issue knowledge and understanding.
7: He reserves his advice for the honest, a shield to those whose ways are sound;
8: he stands guard over the paths of equity, he keeps watch over the way of those faithful to him.
9: Then you will understand uprightness, equity and fair dealing, the paths that lead to happiness.
10: When wisdom comes into your heart and knowledge fills your soul with delight,
11: then prudence will be there to watch over you, and understanding will be your guardian
12: to keep you from the way that is evil, from those whose speech is deceitful,
13: from those who leave the paths of honesty to walk the roads of darkness:
14: those who find their joy in doing wrong, and their delight in deceitfulness,
15: whose tracks are twisted, and the paths that they tread crooked.
16: To keep you, too, from the woman who belongs to another, from the stranger, with her wheedling words;
17: she has left the partner of her younger days, she has forgotten the covenant of her God;
18: her house is tilting towards Death, down to the Shades go her paths.
19: Of those who go to her not one returns, they never regain the paths of life.
20: Thus you will tread the way of good people, persisting in the paths of the upright.
21: For the land will be for the honest to live in, the innocent will have it for their home;
1: My child, do not forget my teaching, let your heart keep my principles,
2: since they will increase your length of days, your years of life and your well-being.
3: Let faithful love and constancy never leave you: tie them round your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4: Thus you will find favour and success in the sight of God and of people.
5: Trust wholeheartedly in Yahweh, put no faith in your own perception;
6: acknowledge him in every course you take, and he will see that your paths are smooth.
7: Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom, fear Yahweh and turn your back on evil:
8: health-giving, this, to your body, relief to your bones.
9: Honour Yahweh with what goods you have and with the first-fruits of all your produce;
10: then your barns will be filled with corn, your vats overflowing with new wine.
11: My child, do not scorn correction from Yahweh, do not resent his reproof;
12: for Yahweh reproves those he loves, as a father the child whom he loves.
13: Blessed are those who have discovered wisdom, those who have acquired understanding!
14: Gaining her is more rewarding than silver, her yield is more valuable than gold.
15: She is beyond the price of pearls, nothing you could covet is her equal.
16: In her right hand is length of days; in her left hand, riches and honour.
17: Her ways are filled with delight, her paths all lead to contentment.
18: She is a tree of life for those who hold her fast, those who cling to her live happy lives.
19: In wisdom, Yahweh laid the earth's foundations, in understanding he spread out the heavens.
20: Through his knowledge the depths were cleft open, and the clouds distil the dew.
21: My child, hold to sound advice and prudence, never let them out of sight;
22: they will give life to your soul and beauty to your neck.
23: You will go on your way in safety, your feet will not stumble.
24: When you go to bed, you will not be afraid; once in bed, your sleep will be sweet.
25: Have no fear either of sudden terror or of attack mounted by wicked men,
26: since Yahweh will be your guarantor, he will keep your steps from the snare.
27: Refuse no kindness to those who have a right to it, if it is in your power to perform it.
28: Do not say to your neighbour, 'Go away! Come another time! I will give it you tomorrow,' if you can do it now.
29: Do not plot harm against your neighbour who is living unsuspecting beside you.
30: Do not pick a groundless quarrel with anyone who has done you no harm.
31: Do not envy the man of violence, never model your conduct on his;
32: for the willful wrong-doer is abhorrent to Yahweh, who confides only in the honest.
33: Yahweh's curse lies on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright.
34: He mocks those who mock, but accords his favour to the humble. 35: Glory is the portion of the wise, all that fools inherit is contempt.
2: for learning what wisdom and discipline are, for understanding words of deep meaning,
3: for acquiring a disciplined insight, uprightness, justice and fair dealing;
4: for teaching sound judgment to the simple, and knowledge and reflection to the young;
5: Let the wise listen and learn yet more, and a person of discernment will acquire the art of guidance.
6: for perceiving the meaning of proverbs and obscure sayings, the sayings of the sages and their riddles.
7: The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; fools spurn wisdom and discipline.
8: Listen, my child, to your father's instruction, do not reject your mother's teaching:
9: they will be a crown of grace for your head, a circlet for your neck.
10: My child, if sinners try to seduce you, do not go with them.
11: If they say, 'Come with us: let us lie in ambush to shed blood; if we plan an ambush for the innocent without provocation,
12: we can swallow them alive, like Sheol, and whole, like those who sink into oblivion.
13: We shall find treasures of every sort, we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14: throw in your lot with us: one purse between us all.'
15: My child, do not follow them in their way, keep your steps out of their path
16: for their feet hasten to evil, they are quick to shed blood;
17: for the net is spread in vain if any winged creature can see it.
18: It is for their own blood such people lie in wait, their ambush is against their own selves!
19: Such are the paths of all who seek dishonest gain: which robs of their lives all who take it for their own.
20: Wisdom calls aloud in the streets, she raises her voice in the public squares;
21: she calls out at the street corners, she delivers her message at the city gates.
22: 'You simple people, how much longer will you cling to your simple ways? How much longer will mockers revel in their mocking and fools go on hating knowledge?
23: Pay attention to my warning. To you I will pour out my heart and tell you what I have to say.
24: Since I have called and you have refused me, since I have beckoned and no one has taken notice,
25: since you have ignored all my advice and rejected all my warnings,
26: I, for my part, shall laugh at your distress, I shall jeer when terror befalls you,
27: when terror befalls you, like a storm, when your distress arrives, like a whirlwind, when ordeal and anguish bear down on you.
28: Then they will call me, but I shall not answer, they will look eagerly for me and will not find me.
29: They have hated knowledge, they have not chosen the fear of Yahweh,
30: they have taken no notice of my advice, they have spurned all my warnings:
31: so they will have to eat the fruits of their own ways of life, and choke themselves with their own scheming.
32: For the errors of the simple lead to their death, the complacency of fools works their own ruin;
33: but whoever listens to me may live secure, will have quiet, fearing no mischance.
Chapter 2
2: tuning your ear to wisdom, tuning your heart to understanding,
3: yes, if your plea is for clear perception, if you cry out for understanding,
4: if you look for it as though for silver, search for it as though for buried treasure,
5: then you will understand what the fear of Yahweh is, and discover the knowledge of God.
6: For Yahweh himself is giver of wisdom, from his mouth issue knowledge and understanding.
7: He reserves his advice for the honest, a shield to those whose ways are sound;
8: he stands guard over the paths of equity, he keeps watch over the way of those faithful to him.
9: Then you will understand uprightness, equity and fair dealing, the paths that lead to happiness.
10: When wisdom comes into your heart and knowledge fills your soul with delight,
11: then prudence will be there to watch over you, and understanding will be your guardian
12: to keep you from the way that is evil, from those whose speech is deceitful,
13: from those who leave the paths of honesty to walk the roads of darkness:
14: those who find their joy in doing wrong, and their delight in deceitfulness,
15: whose tracks are twisted, and the paths that they tread crooked.
16: To keep you, too, from the woman who belongs to another, from the stranger, with her wheedling words;
17: she has left the partner of her younger days, she has forgotten the covenant of her God;
18: her house is tilting towards Death, down to the Shades go her paths.
19: Of those who go to her not one returns, they never regain the paths of life.
20: Thus you will tread the way of good people, persisting in the paths of the upright.
21: For the land will be for the honest to live in, the innocent will have it for their home;
Chapter 3
2: since they will increase your length of days, your years of life and your well-being.
3: Let faithful love and constancy never leave you: tie them round your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4: Thus you will find favour and success in the sight of God and of people.
5: Trust wholeheartedly in Yahweh, put no faith in your own perception;
6: acknowledge him in every course you take, and he will see that your paths are smooth.
7: Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom, fear Yahweh and turn your back on evil:
8: health-giving, this, to your body, relief to your bones.
9: Honour Yahweh with what goods you have and with the first-fruits of all your produce;
10: then your barns will be filled with corn, your vats overflowing with new wine.
11: My child, do not scorn correction from Yahweh, do not resent his reproof;
12: for Yahweh reproves those he loves, as a father the child whom he loves.
13: Blessed are those who have discovered wisdom, those who have acquired understanding!
14: Gaining her is more rewarding than silver, her yield is more valuable than gold.
15: She is beyond the price of pearls, nothing you could covet is her equal.
16: In her right hand is length of days; in her left hand, riches and honour.
17: Her ways are filled with delight, her paths all lead to contentment.
18: She is a tree of life for those who hold her fast, those who cling to her live happy lives.
19: In wisdom, Yahweh laid the earth's foundations, in understanding he spread out the heavens.
20: Through his knowledge the depths were cleft open, and the clouds distil the dew.
21: My child, hold to sound advice and prudence, never let them out of sight;
22: they will give life to your soul and beauty to your neck.
23: You will go on your way in safety, your feet will not stumble.
24: When you go to bed, you will not be afraid; once in bed, your sleep will be sweet.
25: Have no fear either of sudden terror or of attack mounted by wicked men,
26: since Yahweh will be your guarantor, he will keep your steps from the snare.
27: Refuse no kindness to those who have a right to it, if it is in your power to perform it.
28: Do not say to your neighbour, 'Go away! Come another time! I will give it you tomorrow,' if you can do it now.
29: Do not plot harm against your neighbour who is living unsuspecting beside you.
30: Do not pick a groundless quarrel with anyone who has done you no harm.
31: Do not envy the man of violence, never model your conduct on his;
32: for the willful wrong-doer is abhorrent to Yahweh, who confides only in the honest.
33: Yahweh's curse lies on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright.
34: He mocks those who mock, but accords his favour to the humble. 35: Glory is the portion of the wise, all that fools inherit is contempt.
Chapter 4
1: Listen, my children, to a father's instruction; pay attention, and learn what understanding is.
2: What I am offering you is sound doctrine: do not forsake my teaching.
3: I too was once a child with a father, in my mother's eyes a tender child, unique.
4: This was what he used to teach me, 'Let your heart treasure what I have to say, keep my principles and you will live;
5: acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, never forget her, never deviate from my words.
6: Do not desert her, she will keep you safe; love her, she will watch over you.
7: The first principle of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; at the cost of all you have, acquire understanding!
8: Hold her close, and she will make you great; embrace her, and she will be your pride;
9: she will provide a graceful garland for your head, bestow a crown of honour on you.'
10: Listen, my child, take my words to heart, and the years of your life will be multiplied.
11: I have educated you in the ways of wisdom, I have guided you along the path of honesty.
12: When you walk, your going will be unhindered, if you run, you will not stumble.
13: Hold fast to discipline, never let her go, keep your eyes on her, she is your life.
14: Do not follow the path of the wicked, do not walk the way that the evil go.
15: Avoid it, do not take it, turn your back on it, pass it by.
16: For they cannot sleep unless they have first done wrong, they miss their sleep if they have not made someone stumble;
17: for the bread of wickedness is what they eat, and the wine of violence is what they drink.
18: The path of the upright is like the light of dawn, its brightness growing to the fullness of day;
19: the way of the wicked is as dark as night, they cannot tell the obstacles they stumble over.
20: My child, pay attention to what I am telling you, listen carefully to my words;
21: do not let them out of your sight, keep them deep in your heart.
22: For they are life to those who find them and health to all humanity.
23: More than all else, keep watch over your heart, since here are the wellsprings of life.
24: Turn your back on the mouth that misleads, keep your distance from lips that deceive.
25: Let your eyes be fixed ahead, your gaze be straight before you.
26: Let the path you tread be level and all your ways be firm.
27: Turn neither to right nor to left, keep your foot clear of evil.
2: What I am offering you is sound doctrine: do not forsake my teaching.
3: I too was once a child with a father, in my mother's eyes a tender child, unique.
4: This was what he used to teach me, 'Let your heart treasure what I have to say, keep my principles and you will live;
5: acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, never forget her, never deviate from my words.
6: Do not desert her, she will keep you safe; love her, she will watch over you.
7: The first principle of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; at the cost of all you have, acquire understanding!
8: Hold her close, and she will make you great; embrace her, and she will be your pride;
9: she will provide a graceful garland for your head, bestow a crown of honour on you.'
10: Listen, my child, take my words to heart, and the years of your life will be multiplied.
11: I have educated you in the ways of wisdom, I have guided you along the path of honesty.
12: When you walk, your going will be unhindered, if you run, you will not stumble.
13: Hold fast to discipline, never let her go, keep your eyes on her, she is your life.
14: Do not follow the path of the wicked, do not walk the way that the evil go.
15: Avoid it, do not take it, turn your back on it, pass it by.
16: For they cannot sleep unless they have first done wrong, they miss their sleep if they have not made someone stumble;
17: for the bread of wickedness is what they eat, and the wine of violence is what they drink.
18: The path of the upright is like the light of dawn, its brightness growing to the fullness of day;
19: the way of the wicked is as dark as night, they cannot tell the obstacles they stumble over.
20: My child, pay attention to what I am telling you, listen carefully to my words;
21: do not let them out of your sight, keep them deep in your heart.
22: For they are life to those who find them and health to all humanity.
23: More than all else, keep watch over your heart, since here are the wellsprings of life.
24: Turn your back on the mouth that misleads, keep your distance from lips that deceive.
25: Let your eyes be fixed ahead, your gaze be straight before you.
26: Let the path you tread be level and all your ways be firm.
27: Turn neither to right nor to left, keep your foot clear of evil.
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