¹ The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

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

³ to receive instruction in prudence, justice, and judgment, and uprightness;

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

⁵ The wise hears and increases learning, and the understanding ones gets wise counsel,

⁶ to understand a proverb and an enigma; the words of the wise, and their acute sayings.

⁷ The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸ My son, hear your father's instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

⁹ for they shall be an ornament of grace to your head, and chains for your neck.

¹⁰ My son, if sinners lure you, do not be willing.

¹¹ If they say, Walk with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us secretly lurk for the innocent without cause,

¹² let us swallow them up alive as Sheol; and whole, as those who go down into the Pit,

¹³ we shall find all precious goods; we shall fill our houses with plunder;

¹⁴ cast in your lot among us; one purse shall be to all of us.

¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them! Hold back your foot from their path;

¹⁶ for their feet run to evil and they haste to shed blood.

¹⁷ For in vain the net is spread in the sight of every bird.

¹⁸ And they lie in wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own souls.

¹⁹ So are the ways of everyone who gets unjust gain; it takes away its owner's soul.

²⁰ Wisdom cries aloud outside; she gives her voice in the square;

²¹ she calls at the head of gathering places; in the opening of the gates, in the city she utters her words:

²² How long will you love to be simple, you simple ones? And will scorners desire scorn for themselves? And will fools hate knowledge?

²³ Turn back at my warning; behold, I will pour out my Spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

²⁴ Because I called, and you refused; I stretch out a hand, and none inclines,

²⁵ but you have ignored all my counsel, and you did not desire my warning.

²⁶ I also will laugh in your calamity, I will mock when your dread comes;

²⁷ when your dread comes like a storm; and your calamity arrives like a tempest, when distress and constraint come on you.

²⁸ Then they shall call on me, and I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.

²⁹ Instead they hated knowledge and chose not the fear of Jehovah.

³⁰ They did not want my counsel; they despised all my reproof,

³¹ and they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own lusts.

³² For the going astray of the simple kills them, and the ease of fools destroys them.

³³ But he who listens to me shall live securely and shall be at ease from the dread of evil.