Proverbs 1

The Purpose of Proverbs

¹ These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

² Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.

³ Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

⁴ These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.

⁵ Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance ⁶ by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.

⁷ Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom

⁸ My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. ⁹ What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.

¹⁰ My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! ¹ They may say, “Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! ¹² Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. ¹³ Think of the great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. ¹⁴ Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.” ¹⁵ My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. ¹⁶ They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder.

¹⁷ If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. ¹⁸ But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. ¹⁹ Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.

Wisdom Shouts in the Streets

²⁰ Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. ²¹ She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:

²² “How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge? ²³ Come and listen to my counsel.I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise. ²⁴ I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.²⁵ You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. ²⁶ So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you— ²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. ²⁸ When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. ²⁹ For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. ³⁰ They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. ¹ Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. ³² For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. ³³ But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

Proverbs 2

The Benefits of Wisdom

¹ My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. ² Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. ³ Cry out for insight,and ask for understanding. ⁴ Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.

⁵ Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. ⁶ For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ⁷ He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. ⁸ He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.

⁹ Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. ¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. 11Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

¹² Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted. ¹³ These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. ¹⁴ They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. ¹⁵ Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong.

¹⁶ Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman. ¹⁷ She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God. ¹⁸ Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave. ¹⁹ The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life.

²⁰ So follow the steps of the good, and stay on the paths of the righteous. ²¹ For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it. ² But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted.

Proverbs 3

Trusting in the Lord

¹ My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. ² If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. ³ Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. ⁴ Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. ⁶ Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

⁷ Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. ⁸ Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. ¹⁰ Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

¹¹ My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. ¹² For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

¹³ Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. ¹⁴ For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. ¹⁵ Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. ¹⁶ She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. ¹⁷ She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. ¹⁸ Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

¹⁹ By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens. ²⁰ By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.

²¹ My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, ²² for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace. ²³ They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. ²⁴ You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. ²⁵ You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, ²⁶ for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. ²⁸ If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”

²⁹ Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you. ³⁰ Don’t pick a fight without reason, when no one has done you harm.

³¹ Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways. ³² Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.

³³ The Lord curses the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright.

³⁴ The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble.

³⁵ The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!