The PROVERBS 1 - 7

1:1

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

1:2

To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

1:3

To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

1:4

To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

1:5

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

1:6

To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

1:8

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

1:9

For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

1:10

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

1:11

If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

1:12

Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

1:13

We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

1:14

Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

1:15

My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

1:16

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

1:17

Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

1:18

And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

1:19

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

1:20

Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

1:21

She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

1:22

How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

1:23

Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

1:24

Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

1:25

But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

1:26

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

1:27

When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

1:28

Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

1:29

For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

1:30

They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

1:31

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

1:32

For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

1:33

But who so hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

2:1

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

2:2

So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

2:3

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

2:4

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

2:5

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

2:6

For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

2:7

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

2:8

He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

2:9

Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

2:10

When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

2:11

Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

2:12

To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

2:13

Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

2:14

Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

2:15

Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

2:16

To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

2:17

Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

2:18

For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

2:19

None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

2:20

That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

2:21

For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

2:22

But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

3:1

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

3:2

For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

3:3

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

3:4

So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

3:5

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

3:6

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

3:7

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

3:8

It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

3:9

Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

3:10

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

3:11

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

3:12

For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

3:13

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

3:14

For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.

3:15

She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

3:16

Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.

3:17

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

3:18

She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

3:19

The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

3:20

By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

3:21

My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

3:22

So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

3:23

Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

3:24

When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

3:25

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

3:26

For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

3:27

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

3:28

Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

3:29

Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

3:30

Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

3:31

Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

3:32

For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.

3:33

The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

3:34

Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

3:35

The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

4:1

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

4:2

For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

4:3

For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

4:4

He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

4:5

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

4:6

Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.

4:7

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

4:8

Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

4:9

She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

4:10

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.

4:11

I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

4:12

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

4:13

Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

4:14

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

4:15

Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

4:16

For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

4:17

For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

4:18

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

4:19

The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

4:20

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

4:21

Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

4:22

For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

4:23

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

4:24

Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

4:25

Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

4:26

Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

4:27

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

5:1

My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

5:2

That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

5:3

For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

5:4

But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

5:5

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

5:6

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

5:7

Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

5:8

Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

5:9

Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

5:10

Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

5:11

And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

5:12

And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

5:13

And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

5:14

I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

5:15

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

5:16

Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

5:17

Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

5:18

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

5:19

Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

5:20

And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

5:21

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

5:22

His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

5:23

He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

6:1

My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

6:2

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

6:3

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

6:4

Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

6:5

Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6:6

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

6:7

Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

6:8

Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

6:9

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

6:10

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

6:11

So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

6:12

A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.

6:13

He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

6:14

Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

6:15

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

6:16

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

6:17

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

6:18

An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

6:19

A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

6:20

My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

6:21

Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

6:22

When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

6:23

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

6:24

To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

6:25

Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

6:26

For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

6:27

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

6:28

Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

6:29

So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

6:30

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

6:31

But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

6:32

But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

6:33

A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

6:34

For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

6:35

He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

7:1

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

7:2

Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

7:3

Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

7:4

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

7:5

That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

7:6

For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

7:7

And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

7:8

Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

7:9

In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

7:10

And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

7:11

(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

7:12

Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

7:13

So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

7:14

I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

7:15

Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

7:16

I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

7:17

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

7:18

Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

7:19

For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

7:20

He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.

7:21

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

7:22

He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

7:23

Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

7:24

Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

7:25

Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

7:26

For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

7:27

Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

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