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¹ The Prouerbes of Solomon the sonne of Dauid, King of Israel, ² To knowe wisedome and instruction, to perceiue the words of vnderstanding, ³ To receiue the instruction of wisdome, iustice, and iudgement & equitie, ⁴ To giue subtiltie to the simple, to the yong man knowledge and discretion. ⁵ A wise man wil heare, and wil increase learning: and a man of vnderstanding shall attaine vnto wise counsels: ⁶ To vnderstand a prouerbe, and the interpretation; the wordes of the wise, and their darke sayings.

⁷ The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction. ⁸ My sonne, heare the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother. ⁹ For they shall be an ornament of grace vnto thy head, and chaines about thy necke.

¹⁰ My sonne, if sinners entise thee, consent thou not. ¹¹ If they say, Come with vs, let vs lay wait for blood, let vs lurke priuily for the innocent without cause: ¹² Let vs swallow them vp aliue, as the graue, and whole, as those that goe downe into the pit: ¹³ Wee shall finde all precious substance, wee shall fill our houses with spoile: ¹⁴ Cast in thy lot among vs, let vs all haue one purse: ¹⁵ My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them; refraine thy foot from their path: ¹⁶ For their feete runne to euil, and make haste to shed blood. ¹⁷ Surely in vaine the net is spread in the sight of any bird. ¹⁸ And they lay wait for their owne blood, they lurke priuily for their owne liues. ¹⁹ So are the waies of euery one that is greedie of gaine: which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

²⁰ Wisedome crieth without, she vttereth her voice in the streets: ²¹ Shee crieth in the chiefe place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she vttereth her words, saying, ²² How long, ye simple ones, will ye loue simplicitie? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fooles hate knowledge? ²³ Turne you at my reproofe: behold, I will powre out my spirit vnto you, I will make knowen my wordes vnto you. ²⁴ Because I haue called, and yee refused, I haue stretched out my hand, and no man regarded: ²⁵ But ye haue set at nought all my counsell, & would none of my reproofe: ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamitie, I wil mocke when your feare commeth. ²⁷ When your feare commeth as desolation, and your destruction commeth as a whirlewinde; when distresse and anguish commeth vpon you: ²⁸ Then shall they call vpon mee, but I will not answere; they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me: ²⁹ For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the feare of the Lord. ³⁰ They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproofe. ³¹ Therefore shall they eate of the fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuices. ³² For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fooles shall destroy them. ³³ But who so hearkneth vnto mee, shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from feare of euill.