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The Usefulness of Proverbs

¹ The ^(C1)proverbs of Solomon ^(C2)the son of David, king of Israel:

² To know ^(C1)wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of ^(C2)understanding,

³ To ^(C1)receive instruction in wise behavior,
^(C2)Righteousness, justice, and integrity;

⁴ To give ^(C1)prudence to the naive,
To the youth ^(C2)knowledge and discretion,

⁵ A wise person will hear and ^(C1)increase in learning,
And a ^(C2)person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

⁶ To understand a proverb and a saying,
The words of the wise and their ^(C1)riddles.

^7 (C1)The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

^8 (C1)Listen, my son, to your father's instruction,
And ^(C2)do not ignore your mother's teaching;

⁹ For they are a ^(C1)graceful wreath for your head
And ^(C2)necklaces for your neck.

¹⁰ My son, if sinners ^(C1)entice you,
^(C2)Do not consent.

¹¹ If they say, "Come with us,
Let's ^(C1)lie in wait for blood,
Let's ^(C2)ambush the innocent without cause;

¹² Let's ^(C1)swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, like those who ^(C2)go down to the pit;

¹³ We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with plunder;

¹⁴ Throw in your lot ^(F1)with us;
We will all have one money bag,"

¹⁵ My son, ^(C1)do not walk on the way with them.
^(C2)Keep your feet from their path,

¹⁶ For ^(C1)their feet run to evil,
And they are quick to shed blood.

¹⁷ Indeed, it is ^(F1)useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any ^(F2)bird;

¹⁸ But they ^(C1)lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.

¹⁹ Such are the ways of everyone who ^(C1)makes unjust gain;
It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

^20 (C1)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She ^(F1)raises her voice in the public square;

²¹ At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:

²² "How long, you ^(C1)naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking?
And how long will ^(C2)scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools ^(C3)hate knowledge?

²³ "Turn to my rebuke,
Behold, I will ^(C1)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

²⁴ "Because ^(C1)I called and you ^(C2)refused,
I ^(C3)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

²⁵ And you ^(C1)neglected all my advice
And did not ^(C2)want my rebuke;

²⁶ I will also ^(C1)laugh at your ^(C2)disaster;
I will mock when your ^(C3)dread comes,

²⁷ When your dread comes like a storm
And your disaster comes like a ^(C1)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

²⁸ "Then they will ^(C1)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will ^(C2)seek me diligently but will not find me,

²⁹ Because they ^(C1)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD.

³⁰ "They ^(C1)did not accept my advice,
They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.

³¹ "So they shall ^(C1)eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be ^(C2)filled with their own schemes.

³² "For the ^(C1)faithlessness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

³³ "But ^(C1)whoever listens to me will live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil."