The Beginning of Knowledge
1 ch. 10:1;25:1;1 Kgs. 4:32;Eccles. 12:9The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in ch. 2:9righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to ch. 8:5;14:15,18the simple,
knowledge and ch. 2:11;3:21discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and ch. 9:9increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
ch. 22:17the words of the wise and their Judg. 14:12;Ps. 78:2riddles.
7 ch. 9:10;[ch. 15:33]; See Job 28:28The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 ch. 6:20;[Ps. 34:11;Eph. 6:1,2]Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
9 for they are ch. 4:9;[ch. 3:22] a graceful garland for your head
and [Gen. 41:42;Dan. 5:29]pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners ch. 16:29entice you,
do not consent.
11 If they say, "Come with us, ver. 18;ch. 12:6;Jer. 5:26let us lie in wait for blood;
ver. 18;Ps. 10:8;64:5let us ambush the innocent without reason;
12 like Sheol let us Ps. 124:3;[Num. 16:32,33] swallow them alive,
and whole, like Ps. 28:1those who go down to the pit;
13 we shall find all precious goods,
we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot among us;
we will all have one purse"—
15 my son, ch. 4:14;24:1;Ps. 1:1do not walk in the way with them;
[Ps. 119:101]hold back your foot from their paths,
16 for ch. 6:18;Isa. 59:7;[Rom. 3:15]their feet run to evil,
and they make haste to shed blood.
17 [Job 40:24]For in vain is a net spread
in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men ver. 11lie in wait for their own blood;
they ver. 11set an ambush for their own lives.
19 [Job 8:13] Such are the ways of everyone who is ch. 15:27greedy for unjust gain;
[1 Tim. 6:10]it takes away the life of its possessors.
The Call of Wisdom
20 ch. 8:1;9:3;[John 7:37]Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at ch. 8:3the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 "How long, O See ver. 4simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will See Ps. 1:1scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools ver. 29;ch. 5:12;[Job 21:14]hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof,1:23 Or Will you turn away at my reproof?
behold, I will Joel 2:28;Acts 2:17pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Isa. 65:12;66:4;Jer. 7:13Because I have called and Zech. 7:11you refused to listen,
have Rom. 10:21stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have See Ps. 107:11ignored all my counsel
and [Ps. 81:11;Luke 7:30]would have none of my reproof,
26 I also See Ps. 2:4will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when ch. 10:24;Jer. 48:43;49:5terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like [Zeph. 1:15]a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 See 1 Sam. 8:18;Job 27:9Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they [See ver. 22above] hated knowledge
and [Job 21:14]did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 [See ver. 25above] would have none of my counsel
and [See ver. 25above]despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat Jer. 6:19the fruit of their way,
and have ch. 14:14;Isa. 3:11;[Job 4:8]their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by Jer. 2:19their turning away,
and [Ps. 73:18,19]the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but [Ps. 25:12,13] whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be Ps. 112:7,8at ease, without dread of disaster."