New King James Version (NKJV)

The Beginning of Knowledge

1 Theproverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,

To perceive the words of understanding,

3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,

Justice, judgment, and equity;

4 To give prudence to thesimple,

To the young man knowledge and discretion—

5 A wisemanwill hear and increase learning,

And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,

6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,

# The words of the wise and theirriddles.

7 The fear of theLordisthe beginning of knowledge,

Butfools despise wisdom and instruction.

Shun Evil Counsel

8 My son, hear the instruction of your father,

And do not forsake the law of your mother;

9 For theywillbeagraceful ornament on your head,

And chains about your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice you,

# Do not consent.

11 If they say, “Come with us,

# Let uslie in wait toshedblood;

Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,

# And whole,like those who go down to the Pit;

13 We shall find allkindsof precious possessions,

We shall fill our houses with spoil;

14 Cast in your lot among us,

Let us all have one purse”—

15 My son,do not walk in the way with them,

# Keep your foot from their path;

16 For their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed blood.

17 Surely, in vain the net is spread

In the sight of any bird;

18 But they lie in wait for theirownblood,

They lurk secretly for theirownlives.

19 Soarethe ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;

It takes away the life of its owners.

The Call of Wisdom

20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;

She raises her voice in the open squares.

21 She cries out in the chief concourses,

At the openings of the gates in the city

She speaks her words:

22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

23 Turn at my rebuke;

# SurelyI will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused,

I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,

25 Because youdisdained all my counsel,

And would have none of my rebuke,

26 I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your terror comes,

27 Whenyour terror comes like a storm,

And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 “Thenthey will call on me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

29 Because theyhated knowledge

# And did notchoose the fear of theLord,

30 They would have none of my counsel

Anddespised my every rebuke.

31 Thereforethey shall eat the fruit of their own way,

And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 But whoever listens to me will dwellsafely,

# Andwill be secure, without fear of evil.”

The Value of Wisdom

1 My son, if you receive my words,

# Andtreasure my commands within you,

2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,

Andapply your heart to understanding;

3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

Andlift up your voice for understanding,

4 If you seek her as silver,

And search for her asforhidden treasures;

5 Then you will understand the fear of theLord,

And find the knowledge of God.

6 For theLordgives wisdom;

From His mouthcomeknowledge and understanding;

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

# Heisa shield to those who walk uprightly;

8 He guards the paths of justice,

# Andpreserves the way of His saints.

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,

Equityandevery good path.

10 When wisdom enters your heart,

And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

11 Discretion will preserve you;

# Understanding will keep you,

12 To deliver you from the way of evil,

From the man who speaks perverse things,

13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness

# Towalk in the ways of darkness;

14 Who rejoice in doing evil,

Anddelight in the perversity of the wicked;

15 Whose waysarecrooked,

Andwhoaredevious in their paths;

16 To deliver you fromthe immoral woman,

# From the seductresswhoflatters with her words,

17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,

And forgets the covenant of her God.

18 Forher house leads down to death,

And her paths to the dead;

19 None who go to her return,

Nor do they regain the paths of life—

20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,

And keeptothe paths of righteousness.

21 For the upright will dwell in theland,

And the blameless will remain in it;

22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,

And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

Guidance for the Young

1 My son, do not forget my law,

# But let your heart keep my commands;

2 For length of days and long life

# Andpeace they will add to you.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

# Bind them around your neck,

# Write them on the tablet of your heart,

4 Andso find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in theLordwith all your heart,

# And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

7 Do not be wise in your owneyes;

Fear theLordand depart from evil.

8 It will be health to your flesh,

# Andstrength to your bones.

9 Honor theLordwith your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

11 My son, do not despise the chastening of theLord,

Nor detest His correction;

12 For whom theLordloves He corrects,

# Just as a father the soninwhomhe delights.

13 Happyisthe manwhofinds wisdom,

And the manwhogains understanding;

14 For her proceedsarebetter than the profits of silver,

And her gain than fine gold.

15 Sheismore precious than rubies,

# Andall the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

16 Length of daysisin her right hand,

In her left hand riches and honor.

17 Her waysareways of pleasantness,

And all her pathsarepeace.

18 Sheisa tree of life to those who take hold of her,

And happyareallwho retain her.

19 TheLordby wisdom founded the earth;

By understanding He established the heavens;

20 By His knowledge the depths werebroken up,

And clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—

Keep sound wisdom and discretion;

22 So they will be life to your soul

And grace to your neck.

23 Then you will walk safely in your way,

And your foot will not stumble.

24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror,

Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;

26 For theLordwill be your confidence,

And will keep your foot from being caught.

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

When it is in the power of your hand to doso.

28 Do not say to your neighbor,

“Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will giveit,”

When you have it with you.

29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,

For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.

30 Do not strive with a man without cause,

If he has done you no harm.

31 Do not envy the oppressor,

And choose none of his ways;

32 For the perversepersonisan abomination to theLord,

# But His secret counseliswith the upright.

33 The curse of theLordison the house of the wicked,

# ButHe blesses the home of the just.

34 Surely He scorns the scornful,

But gives grace to the humble.

35 The wise shall inherit glory,

But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

Security in Wisdom

1 Hear,mychildren, the instruction of a father,

And give attention to know understanding;

2 For I give you good doctrine:

Do not forsake my law.

3 When I was my father’s son,

# Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,

4 He also taught me, and said to me:

“Let your heart retain my words;

# Keep my commands, and live.

5 Get wisdom! Get understanding!

Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;

# Love her, and she will keep you.

7 Wisdomisthe principal thing;

Thereforeget wisdom.

And in all your getting, get understanding.

8 Exalt her, and she will promote you;

She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.

9 She will place on your headan ornament of grace;

A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,

# And the years of your life will be many.

11 I havetaught you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in right paths.

12 When you walk,your steps will not be hindered,

# And when you run, you will not stumble.

13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;

Keep her, for sheisyour life.

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,

And do not walk in the way of evil.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

And their sleep is taken away unless they makesomeonefall.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the justislike the shining sun,

That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

19 The way of the wickedislike darkness;

They do not know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22 For theyarelife to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence,

# For out of itspringthe issues oflife.

24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,

And put perverse lips far from you.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you.

26 Ponder the path of yourfeet,

And let all your ways be established.

27 Do not turn to the right or the left;

Remove your foot from evil.

The Peril of Adultery

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

Lend your ear to my understanding,

2 That you may preserve discretion,

# And your lipsmay keep knowledge.

3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,

# And her mouthissmoother than oil;

4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,

Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death,

# Her steps lay hold of hell.

6 Lest you ponderherpath of life—

Her ways are unstable;

You do not knowthem.

7 Therefore hear me now,mychildren,

And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

8 Remove your way far from her,

And do not go near the door of her house,

9 Lest you give your honor to others,

And your years to the cruelone;

10 Lest aliens be filled with your wealth,

And your laborsgoto the house of a foreigner;

11 And you mourn at last,

When your flesh and your body are consumed,

12 And say:

“How I have hated instruction,

And my heart despised correction!

13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,

Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!

14 I was on the verge of total ruin,

In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern,

And running water from your own well.

16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,

Streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be only your own,

And not for strangers with you.

18 Let your fountain be blessed,

# And rejoice withthe wife of your youth.

19 Asaloving deer and a graceful doe,

Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;

And always be enraptured with her love.

20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured byan immoral woman,

And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

21 For the ways of manarebefore the eyes of theLord,

And He ponders all his paths.

22 His own iniquities entrap the wickedman,

And he is caught in the cords of his sin.

23 He shall die for lack of instruction,

And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Dangerous Promises

1 My son,if you become surety for your friend,

Ifyou have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,

2 You are snared by the words of your mouth;

You are taken by the words of your mouth.

3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;

For you have come into the hand of your friend:

Go and humble yourself;

Plead with your friend.

4 Give no sleep to your eyes,

Nor slumber to your eyelids.

5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the handofthehunter,

And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

The Folly of Indolence

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard!

Consider her ways and be wise,

7 Which, having no captain,

Overseer or ruler,

8 Provides her supplies in the summer,

Andgathers her food in the harvest.

9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard?

When will you rise from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep—

11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,

And your need like an armed man.

The Wicked Man

12 A worthless person, a wicked man,

Walks with a perverse mouth;

13 He winks with his eyes,

He shuffles his feet,

He points with his fingers;

14 Perversityisin his heart,

# He devises evil continually,

# He sows discord.

15 Therefore his calamity shall comesuddenly;

# Suddenly he shallbe brokenwithout remedy.

16 These sixthingstheLordhates,

Yes, sevenarean abomination to Him:

17 A proud look,

# A lying tongue,

# Hands that shed innocent blood,

18 A heart that devises wicked plans,

# Feet that are swift in running to evil,

19 A false witnesswhospeaks lies,

# And one whosows discord among brethren.

Beware of Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s command,

And do not forsake the law of your mother.

21 Bind them continually upon your heart;

Tie them around your neck.

22 When you roam, they will lead you;

# When you sleep,they will keep you;

Andwhenyou awake, they will speak with you.

23 For the commandmentisa lamp,

And the law a light;

Reproofs of instructionarethe way of life,

24 To keep you from the evil woman,

From the flattering tongue of a seductress.

25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,

Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.

26 Forby means of a harlot

Amanisreducedto a crust of bread;

# And an adulteress willprey upon his precious life.

27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,

And his clothes not be burned?

28 Can one walk on hot coals,

And his feet not be seared?

29 Soishe who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;

Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.

30 Peopledo not despise a thief

If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.

31 Yetwhenhe is found,he must restore sevenfold;

He may have to give up all the substance of his house.

32 Whoever commits adultery with a womanlacks understanding;

Hewhodoes so destroys his own soul.

33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,

And his reproach will not be wiped away.

34 Forjealousyisa husband’s fury;

Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35 He will accept no recompense,

Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.

1 My son, keep my words,

# Andtreasure my commands within you.

2 Keep my commands and live,

# And my law as the apple of your eye.

3 Bind them on your fingers;

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Say to wisdom, “Youaremy sister,”

And call understandingyournearest kin,

5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman,

From the seductresswhoflatters with her words.

The Crafty Harlot

6 For at the window of my house

I looked through my lattice,

7 And saw among the simple,

I perceived among the youths,

# A young mandevoid of understanding,

8 Passing along the street near her corner;

And he took the path to her house

9 In the twilight, in the evening,

In the black and dark night.

10 And there a woman met him,

Withthe attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.

11 Shewasloud and rebellious,

# Her feet would not stay at home.

12 At timesshewasoutside, at times in the open square,

Lurking at every corner.

13 So she caught him and kissed him;

With an impudent face she said to him:

14 “Ihavepeace offerings with me;

Today I have paid my vows.

15 So I came out to meet you,

Diligently to seek your face,

And I have found you.

16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,

# Colored coverings ofEgyptian linen.

17 I have perfumed my bed

With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;

Let us delight ourselves with love.

19 For my husbandisnot at home;

He has gone on a long journey;

20 He has taken a bag of money with him,

Andwill come home on the appointed day.”

21 Withher enticing speech she caused him to yield,

# With her flattering lips she seduced him.

22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,

Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,

23 Till an arrow struck his liver.

# As a bird hastens to the snare,

He did not know itwouldcosthis life.

24 Now therefore, listen to me,mychildren;

Pay attention to the words of my mouth:

25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,

Do not stray into her paths;

26 For she has cast down many wounded,

# Andall who were slain by her were strongmen.

27 Her houseisthe way to hell,

Descending to the chambers of death.

The Excellence of Wisdom

1 Does notwisdom cry out,

And understanding lift up her voice?

2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,

Beside the way, where the paths meet.

3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,

At the entrance of the doors:

4 “To you, O men, I call,

And my voiceisto the sons of men.

5 O you simple ones, understand prudence,

And you fools, be of an understanding heart.

6 Listen, for I will speak ofexcellent things,

And from the opening of my lipswillcomeright things;

7 For my mouth will speak truth;

Wickednessisan abomination to my lips.

8 All the words of my moutharewith righteousness;

Nothing crooked or perverseisin them.

9 Theyareall plain to him who understands,

And right to those who find knowledge.

10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,

And knowledge rather than choice gold;

11 For wisdomisbetter than rubies,

And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

And find out knowledgeanddiscretion.

13 The fear of theLordisto hate evil;

# Pride and arrogance and the evil way

# Andthe perverse mouth I hate.

14 Counselismine, and sound wisdom;

# Iamunderstanding,I have strength.

15 By me kings reign,

And rulers decree justice.

16 By me princes rule, and nobles,

All the judges of the earth.

17 I love those who love me,

# Andthose who seek me diligently will find me.

18 Riches and honorarewith me,

Enduring riches and righteousness.

19 My fruitisbetter than gold, yes, than fine gold,

And my revenue than choice silver.

20 I traverse the way of righteousness,

In the midst of the paths of justice,

21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,

That I may fill their treasuries.

22 “TheLordpossessed me at the beginning of His way,

Before His works of old.

23 I have been established from everlasting,

From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.

24 Whentherewereno depths I was brought forth,

Whentherewereno fountains abounding with water.

25 Before the mountains were settled,

Before the hills, I was brought forth;

26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,

Or the primal dust of the world.

27 When He prepared the heavens, Iwasthere,

When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,

28 When He established the clouds above,

When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,

29 When He assigned to the sea its limit,

So that the waters would not transgress His command,

# WhenHe marked out the foundations of the earth,

30 Then I was beside Himasa master craftsman;

# And I was dailyHisdelight,

Rejoicing always before Him,

31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,

# Andmy delightwaswith the sons of men.

32 “Now therefore, listen to me,mychildren,

# Forblessedarethosewhokeep my ways.

33 Hear instruction and be wise,

And do not disdainit.

34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

35 For whoever finds me finds life,

# Andobtains favor from theLord;

36 But he who sins against mewrongs his own soul;

All those who hate me love death.”

The Way of Wisdom

1 Wisdom hasbuilt her house,

She has hewn out her seven pillars;

2 She has slaughtered her meat,

# She has mixed her wine,

She has also furnished her table.

3 She has sent out her maidens,

She cries out from the highest places of the city,

4 “Whoeverissimple, let him turn in here!”

Asforhim who lacks understanding, she says to him,

5 “Come,eat of my bread

And drink of the wine I have mixed.

6 Forsake foolishness and live,

And go in the way of understanding.

7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,

And he who rebukes a wickedmanonlyharms himself.

8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;

# Rebuke a wiseman,and he will love you.

9 Giveinstructionto a wiseman,and he will be still wiser;

# Teach a justman,and he will increase in learning.

10 “Thefear of theLordisthe beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy Oneisunderstanding.

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

Andifyou scoff, you will bearitalone.”

The Way of Folly

13 A foolish woman is clamorous;

Sheissimple, and knows nothing.

14 For she sits at the door of her house,

# On a seatbythe highest places of the city,

15 To call to those who pass by,

Who go straight on their way:

16 “Whoeverissimple, let him turn in here”;

Andasforhim who lacks understanding, she says to him,

17 “Stolenwater is sweet,

And breadeatenin secret is pleasant.”

18 But he does not know thatthe deadarethere,

Thather guestsarein the depths of hell.