The Beginning of Knowledge
(Proverbs 9:1–12)

1These are the prouerbes of Salomon the sonne of Dauid kynge of Israel:

2to lerne wysdome nurtoure, vnderstondinge, prudence,

3rightuousnesse, iudgment and equite.

4That the very babes might haue wyt, and that yonge men might haue knowlege and vnderstondinge.

5By hearinge, the wyse ma shal come by more wysdome: and by experience,

6he shal be more apte to vnderstonde a parable, and the interpretacion therof: the wordes of the wyse, and the darcke speaches of the same.

7The feare of the LORDE is the begynnynge of wysdome. But fooles despyse wysdome and nurtoure.

The Enticement of Sin

8My sonne, heare thy fathers doctryne, and forsake not the lawe of yi mother:

9for that shal brynge grace vnto thy heade, & shalbe a cheyne aboute thy necke.

10My sonne, cosente not vnto synners,

11yf they entyse the, and saye: come wyth us, let us laye wayte for bloude, & lurke preuely for the innocet wythout a cause:

12let us swalowe the vp like ye hell, let us deuoure the quycke and whole, as those that go downe in to the pytt.

13So shal we fynde all maner of costly riches, and fyll oure houses wyth spoyles.

14Cast in thy lott amonge us, we shal haue all one purse.

15My sonne, walke not thou wt them, refrayne yi fote fro their wayes.

16For their fete rune to euell, & are haistie to shed bloude.

17But in vayne is ye net layed forth before the byrdes eyes.

18Yee they the selues laye wayte one for anothers bloude, and one of the wolde slaye another.

19These are the wayes of all soch as be couetous, that one wolde rauysh anothers life.

Wisdom Calls Aloud

20wysdome crieth without, & putteth forth hir voyce in the stretes.

21She calleth before ye congregacion in ye open gates, and sheweth hir wordes thorow ye cite, sayenge:

22O ye childre, how loge wil ye loue childyshnesse? how longe wil ye scorners delyte in scornynge, & ye vnwyse be enemies vnto knowlege?

23O turne you vnto my correccion: lo, I wil expresse my mynde vnto you, and make you vnderstode my wordes.

24Seinge then that I haue called, and ye refused it: I haue stretched out my honde, and no ma regarded it,

25but all my coucels haue ye despysed, and set my correccios at naught.

26Therfore shal I also laugh in yor destruccion, and mocke you, when ye thinge that ye feare cometh vpon you:

27euen whe ye thinge that ye be afrayed of, falleth in sodenly like a storme, and yor misery like a tempest: yee wha trouble and heuynesse cometh vpon you.

28Then shal they call vpo me, but I wil not heare: they shal seke me early, but they shal not fynde me:

29And yt because they hated knowlege, and receaued not ye feare of ye LORDE,

30but abhorred my councell, and despysed my correccion.

31Therfore shal they eate ye frutes of their owne waye, and be fylled wt their owne councels:

32for ye turnynge awaye of ye vnwyse shal slaye the, & ye prosperi of fooles shalbe their owne destruccio.

33But who so harkeneth vnto me, shal dwell safely, and haue ynough without eny feare of euell.