Proverbs: wisdom calls · Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 6–10 WEB

^6:1My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger, ²you are trapped by the words of your mouth; you are ensnared with the words of your mouth. ³Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor. ⁴Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. ⁵Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. ⁶Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise; ⁷which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, ⁸provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. ⁹How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep? ¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep— ¹¹so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man. ¹²A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth, ¹³who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers, ¹⁴in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord. ¹⁵Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy. ¹⁶There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him: ¹⁷arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief, ¹⁹a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers. ²⁰My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching. ²¹Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck. ²²When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you. ²³For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, ²⁴to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue. ²⁵Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids. ²⁶For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life. ²⁷Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned? ²⁸Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched? ²⁹So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished. ³⁰Men don’t despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry, ³¹but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house. ³²He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul. ³³He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away. ³⁴For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won’t spare in the day of vengeance. ³⁵He won’t regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.

^7:1My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you. ²Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye. ³Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative, ⁵that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words. ⁶For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice. ⁷I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding, ⁸passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house, ⁹in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness. ¹⁰Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent. ¹¹She is loud and defiant. Her feet don’t stay in her house. ¹²Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner. ¹³So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him: ¹⁴“Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. Today I have paid my vows. ¹⁵Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you. ¹⁶I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt. ¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. ¹⁸Come, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning. Let’s solace ourselves with loving. ¹⁹For my husband isn’t at home. He has gone on a long journey. ²⁰He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon.” ²¹With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him. ²²He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose. ²³Until an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and doesn’t know that it will cost his life. ²⁴Now therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth. ²⁵Don’t let your heart turn to her ways. Don’t go astray in her paths, ²⁶for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army. ²⁷Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the rooms of death.

^8:1Doesn’t wisdom cry out? Doesn’t understanding raise her voice? ²On the top of high places by the way, where the paths meet, she stands. ³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entry doors, she cries aloud: ⁴“I call to you men! I send my voice to the sons of mankind. ⁵You simple, understand prudence! You fools, be of an understanding heart! ⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things. The opening of my lips is for right things. ⁷For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. ⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverse in them. ⁹They are all plain to him who understands, right to those who find knowledge. ¹⁰Receive my instruction rather than silver, knowledge rather than choice gold. ¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies. All the things that may be desired can’t be compared to it. ¹²“I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling. Find out knowledge and discretion. ¹³The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth. ¹⁴Counsel and sound knowledge are mine. I have understanding and power. ¹⁵By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. ¹⁶By me princes rule, nobles, and all the righteous rulers of the earth. ¹⁷I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me. ¹⁸With me are riches, honor, enduring wealth, and prosperity. ¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, my yield than choice silver. ²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, in the middle of the paths of justice, ²¹that I may give wealth to those who love me. I fill their treasuries. ²²“The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old. ²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth existed. ²⁴When there were no depths, I was born, when there were no springs abounding with water. ²⁵Before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was born; ²⁶while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world. ²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there. When he set a circle on the surface of the deep, ²⁸when he established the clouds above, when the springs of the deep became strong, ²⁹when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, ³⁰then I was the craftsman by his side. I was a delight day by day, always rejoicing before him, ³¹rejoicing in his whole world. My delight was with the sons of men. ³²“Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways. ³³Hear instruction, and be wise. Don’t refuse it. ³⁴Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts. ³⁵For whoever finds me finds life, and will obtain favor from the LORD. ³⁶But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death.”

^9:1Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars. ²She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table. ³She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city: ⁴“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him, ⁵“Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed! ⁶Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding.” ⁷One who corrects a mocker invites insult. One who reproves a wicked man invites abuse. ⁸Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise person, and he will love you. ⁹Instruct a wise person, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous person, and he will increase in learning. ¹⁰The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. ¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied. The years of your life will be increased. ¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you mock, you alone will bear it. ¹³The foolish woman is loud, undisciplined, and knows nothing. ¹⁴She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, ¹⁵to call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways, ¹⁶“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.” As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him, ¹⁷“Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant.” ¹⁸But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

^10:1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother. ²Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death. ³The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked. ⁴He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth. ⁵He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame. ⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. ⁷The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot. ⁸The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall. ⁹He who walks blamelessly walks surely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out. ¹⁰One who winks with the eye causes sorrow, but a chattering fool will fall. ¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. ¹²Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs. ¹³Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has discernment, but a rod is for the back of him who is void of understanding. ¹⁴Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin. ¹⁵The rich man’s wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty. ¹⁶The labor of the righteous leads to life. The increase of the wicked leads to sin. ¹⁷He is in the way of life who heeds correction, but he who forsakes reproof leads others astray. ¹⁸He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool. ¹⁹In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely. ²⁰The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth. ²¹The lips of the righteous feed many, but the foolish die for lack of understanding. ²²The LORD’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. ²³It is a fool’s pleasure to do wickedness, but wisdom is a man of understanding’s pleasure. ²⁴What the wicked fear will overtake them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. ²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more; but the righteous stand firm forever. ²⁶As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. ²⁷The fear of the LORD prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. ²⁸The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish. ²⁹The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity. ³⁰The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land. ³¹The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. ³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.