International Standard Version

King James Bible

1The proverbs of David's son Solomon, king of Israel.

1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

2These proverbs are for gaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;

2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

3for acquiring the discipline that produces wise behavior, righteousness, justice, and upright living;

3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

4for giving prudence to the naïve, and knowledge and discretion to the young.

4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

5Let the wise listen and increase their learning; let the person of understanding receive guidance

5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

6in understanding proverbs, clever sayings, words of the wise, and their riddles.

6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8My son, listen to your father's instruction, and do not let go of your mother's teaching.

8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

9They will be a graceful wreath for your head and a chain for your neck.

9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

10My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

11If they say, "Come with us! Let's lie in wait for blood; let's ambush some innocent person for no reason at all.

11If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

12Let's swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those who go down into the Pit.

12Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

13We'll find all kinds of valuable wealth, and we'll fill our houses with spoil.

13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

14Throw your lot in with us, and all of us will have one purse."

14Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

15My son, do not go along with them, and keep your feet away from their paths!

15My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

16For they run toward evil; these enticers shed blood without hesitation.

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

17Look, it is useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds,

17Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

18but these people lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves.

18And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

19Such is the way of all those who seek illicit gain— it takes away the lives of those who possess it.

19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

20Wisdom cries out in the street; she raises her voice in the public squares.

20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

21She calls out at the busiest part of the noisy streets, and at the entrance to the gates of the city she utters her words:

21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

22"You naïve ones, how long will you love naivete? And how long will scoffers delight in scoffing or fools hate knowledge?"

22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

23Return to my correction! Look, I will pour out my spirit on you, and I will make my words known to you.

23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

24"Because I called out to you and you refused to respond— I appealed, but no one paid attention—

24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

25because you neglected all my advice and did not want my correction,

25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

26I will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when what you fear comes,

26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

27when what you dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

28"Then they will call out to me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

29"Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD;

29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

30they did not want my advice, and they rejected all my correction.

30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

31They will eat the fruit of their way, and they will be filled with their own devices.

31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

32Indeed, the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

33"But the person who listens to me will live safely and will be secure from the fear of evil."

33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.