| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: | 1The Proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: |
| 2To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, | 2To learn wisdom and moral instruction, and to discern wise counsel. |
| 3to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; | 3To receive moral instruction in skillful living, in righteousness, justice, and equity. |
| 4to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— | 4To impart shrewdness to the morally naive, and a discerning plan to the young person. |
| 5Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, | 5(Let the wise also hear and gain instruction, and let the discerning acquire guidance!) |
| 6to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. | 6To discern the meaning of a proverb and a parable, the sayings of the wise and their riddles. |
| 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. | 7Fearing the LORD is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. |
| 8Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, | 8Listen, my child, to the instruction from your father, and do not forsake the teaching from your mother. |
| 9for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. | 9For they will be like an elegant garland on your head, and like pendants around your neck. |
| 10My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. | 10My child, if sinners try to entice you, do not consent! |
| 11If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; | 11If they say, "Come with us! We will lie in wait to shed blood; we will ambush an innocent person capriciously. |
| 12like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; | 12We will swallow them alive like Sheol, those full of vigor like those going down to the Pit. |
| 13we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; | 13We will seize all kinds of precious wealth; we will fill our houses with plunder. |
| 14throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”— | 14Join with us! We will all share equally in what we steal." |
| 15my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, | 15My child, do not go down their way, withhold yourself from their path; |
| 16for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. | 16for they are eager to inflict harm, and they hasten to shed blood. |
| 17For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, | 17Surely it is futile to spread a net in plain sight of any bird, |
| 18but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. | 18but these men lie in wait for their own blood, they ambush their own lives! |
| 19Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. | 19Such are the ways of all who gain profit unjustly; it takes away the life of those who obtain it! |
| 20Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; | 20Wisdom calls out in the street, she shouts loudly in the plazas; |
| 21at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: | 21at the head of the noisy streets she calls, in the entrances of the gates in the city she utters her words: |
| 22“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? | 22"How long will you simpletons love naivete? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? |
| 23If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. | 23If only you will respond to my rebuke, then I will pour out my thoughts to you and I will make my words known to you. |
| 24Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, | 24However, because I called but you refused to listen, because I stretched out my hand but no one paid attention, |
| 25because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, | 25because you neglected all my advice, and did not comply with my rebuke, |
| 26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, | 26so I myself will laugh when disaster strikes you, I will mock when what you dread comes, |
| 27when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. | 27when what you dread comes like a whirlwind, and disaster strikes you like a devastating storm, when distressing trouble comes on you. |
| 28Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. | 28Then they will call to me, but I will not answer; they will diligently seek me, but they will not find me. |
| 29Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, | 29Because they hated moral knowledge, and did not choose to fear the LORD, |
| 30would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, | 30they did not comply with my advice, they spurned all my rebuke. |
| 31therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. | 31Therefore they will eat from the fruit of their way, and they will be stuffed full of their own counsel. |
| 32For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; | 32For the waywardness of the simpletons will kill them, and the careless ease of fools will destroy them. |
| 33but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” | 33But the one who listens to me will live in security, and will be at ease from the dread of harm. |
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