Proverbs 9:15
New International Version
calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way,

New Living Translation
She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business.

English Standard Version
calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way,

Berean Standard Bible
calling out to those who pass by, who make their paths straight.

King James Bible
To call passengers who go right on their ways:

New King James Version
To call to those who pass by, Who go straight on their way:

New American Standard Bible
Calling to those who pass by, Who are going straight on their paths:

NASB 1995
Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight:

NASB 1977
Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight:

Legacy Standard Bible
To call to those who pass by that way, Who are making their paths straight:

Amplified Bible
Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight:

Christian Standard Bible
calling to those who pass by, who go straight ahead on their paths:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
calling to those who pass by, who go straight ahead on their paths:”

American Standard Version
To call to them that pass by, Who go right on their ways:

Contemporary English Version
She shouts to everyone who passes by,

English Revised Version
To call to them that pass by, who go right on their ways,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
and calls to those who pass by, those minding their own business,

Good News Translation
and calls out to people passing by, who are minding their own business:

International Standard Version
She calls out to those passing by on the road, who are minding their own business,

Majority Standard Bible
calling out to those who pass by, who make their paths straight.

NET Bible
calling out to those who are passing by her in the way, who go straight on their way.

New Heart English Bible
To call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways,

Webster's Bible Translation
To call passengers who go right on their ways:

World English Bible
to call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
To call to those passing by the way, "" Who are going straight [on] their paths.

Young's Literal Translation
To call to those passing by the way, Who are going straight on their paths.

Smith's Literal Translation
To call to those passing the way, making straight their paths:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
To call them that pass by the way, and go on their journey:

Catholic Public Domain Version
so as to call to those who were passing by the way and continuing on their journey:

New American Bible
Calling to passersby as they go on their way straight ahead:

New Revised Standard Version
calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
She calls those who pass by, who go right on their ways;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
She calls passersby in the way who go straight on their ways and she says:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
To call to them that pass by, Who go right on their ways:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
calling to passers by, and to those that are going right on their ways;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Way of Folly
14She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the heights of the city, 15calling out to those who pass by, who make their paths straight. 16“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” she says to him who lacks judgment.…

Cross References
Proverbs 7:6-27
For at the window of my house I looked through the lattice. / I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment, / crossing the street near her corner, strolling down the road to her house, ...

Proverbs 1:10-16
My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. / If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause, / let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit. ...

Proverbs 5:3-6
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, / in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. / Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol. ...

Proverbs 6:24-29
to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. / Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. / For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. ...

Proverbs 2:16-19
It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words / who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. / For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. ...

Proverbs 22:14
The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.

Proverbs 23:27-28
For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well. / Like a robber she lies in wait and multiplies the faithless among men.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 16:25
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. / But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 22:9-10
Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’ / So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Luke 14:21-23
The servant returned and reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ / ‘Sir,’ the servant replied, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ / So the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

2 Peter 2:18-19
With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error. / They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

2 Timothy 3:6-7
They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions, / who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.


Treasury of Scripture

To call passengers who go right on their ways:

Proverbs 7:13-15,25-27
So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, …

Proverbs 23:27,28
For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit…

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Proverbs 9
1. The discipline
4. and the doctrine of wisdom
13. The custom
16. and error of folly














calling out
The phrase "calling out" suggests an active and intentional effort to capture attention. In the Hebrew context, the verb used here is "קָרָא" (qara), which means to call, proclaim, or summon. This implies a sense of urgency and importance in the message being delivered. Historically, calling out in public spaces was a common method of communication, especially in ancient cities where town criers or heralds would announce news or warnings. In the spiritual sense, this calling out can be seen as a metaphor for wisdom's persistent invitation to those who are willing to listen and heed its guidance.

to those who pass by
This phrase indicates the target audience of the call—those who are in transit, moving along their life's journey. The Hebrew word "עֹבְרֵי" (ovrei) refers to those who are passing through or crossing over. It suggests a transient state, highlighting the fleeting nature of opportunities to embrace wisdom. In a broader scriptural context, this can be seen as a reminder that life is a journey, and wisdom is available to all who are willing to pause and consider its value, even amidst the busyness of life.

who make their paths straight
The phrase "who make their paths straight" refers to individuals who are actively seeking to live righteously and with purpose. The Hebrew word "יְיַשְּׁרוּ" (yesharu) means to make straight, level, or right. This is often associated with moral and ethical living, aligning one's life with divine principles. In the historical and scriptural context, making one's path straight is akin to preparing the way for the Lord, as seen in Isaiah 40:3. It signifies a life of integrity and intentionality, where one's actions and decisions are aligned with God's will. This phrase serves as an encouragement to pursue a life of wisdom, ensuring that one's journey is directed by divine truth and righteousness.

Verse 15. - To call passengers who go right on their ways. With shameless effrontery she cries to all that pass by, she addresses her solicitations to persons who are going straight on their way, thinking nothing of her, having no idea of deviating from their pursued object. As they walk in the path of right and duty, she tries to turn them aside. Septuagint, "Calling to herself (προσκαλουμένη) those that pass by and are keeping straight in their ways." The Fathers find here a picture of the seductions of heretical teaching, which puts on the mask of orthodoxy and deceives the unwary. Wordsworth notes that, in the Apocalypse, the false teacher bears some emblems of the Lamb (Revelation 13:11). All false doctrine retains some element of truth, and it is because of this admixture that it procures adherents and thrives for a time.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
calling
לִקְרֹ֥א (liq·rō)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

to those who pass by,
לְעֹֽבְרֵי־ (lə·‘ō·ḇə·rê-)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

who make
הַֽ֝מְיַשְּׁרִ֗ים (ham·yaš·šə·rîm)
Article | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 3474: To be straight, even, to be, right, pleasant, prosperous

their paths {straight}:
אֹֽרְחוֹתָֽם׃ (’ō·rə·ḥō·w·ṯām)
Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 734: A well-trodden road, a caravan


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 9:15 To call to those who pass (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 9:14
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