Proverbs 1

¹The Parables of Salomon, the son of David, king of Israel.

²To know wisdom, and discipline:

³to understand the words of prudence: and to receive instruction of doctrine, justice, and judgment, and equity:

⁴that subtility may be given to little ones, knowledge and understanding to the youngman.

⁵the wise man hearing shall be wise: and he that understandeth shall possess governments.

⁶He shall understand a parable, and interpretation, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

⁷The fear of our Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fools despise wisdom and doctrine.

⁸My son, hear the discipline of thy father, and leave not the law of thy mother:

⁹that grace may be added to thy head, and a chain of gold to thy neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners shall entice thee, condescend not to them.

¹¹If they shall say: Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us hide snares against the innocent without cause:

¹²let us swallow him alive as hell, and whole as one descending into the lake.

¹³We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our house with spoils.

¹⁴Cast in thy lot with us, let there be one purse of us all.

¹⁵My son, walk not with them, stay thy foot from their paths.

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

¹⁷But a net is cast in vain before the eyes of them that have wings.

¹⁸Themselves also lie in wait against their own blood, & practise deceits against their own souls.

¹⁹So the paths of every covetous man, take violently the souls of the possessors.

²⁰Wisdom preacheth abroad, she giveth her voice in the streets.

²¹In the head of multitudes she cryeth, in the doors of the gates of the city she uttereth her words, saying:

²²O children how long do you love infancy, and fools covet those things, which are hurtful to themselves, and the unwise hate knowledge?

²³Turn ye at my correption: behold I will utter my spirit to you, and will shew you my words.

²⁴Because I called, and you refused: I stretched out my hand, and there was none that regarded.

²⁵You have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions.

²⁶I also will laugh in your destruction, and will scorn, when that shall come to you, which you feared.

²⁷When sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruction as a tempest shall be at hand: when tribulation and distress shall come upon you:

²⁸Then shall they invocate me, and I will not hear: in the morning shall they arise, and shall not find me:

²⁹for that they have hated discipline, and not received the fear of our Lord,

³⁰nor consented to my counsel, & detracted from all my correption.

³¹They shall eat therefore the fruits of their way, and shall be filled with their own counsels.

³²The aversion of little ones shall kill them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

³³But he that shall hear me, shall rest without terror, and shall enjoy aboundance, fear of evils being taken away.