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1:1  The proverbs of Solomon, King David’s son, from Israel:
1:2  Their purpose is to teach wisdom and discipline, to help one understand wise sayings.
1:3  They provide insightful instruction, which is righteous, just, and full of integrity.
1:4  They make the naive mature, the young knowledgeable and discreet.
1:5  The wise hear them and grow in wisdom; those with understanding gain guidance.
1:6  They help one understand proverbs and difficult sayings, the words of the wise, and their puzzles.
1:7  Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
1:8  Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction; don’t neglect your mother’s teaching;
1:9  for they are a graceful wreath on your head, and beads for your neck.
1:10  My son, don’t let sinners entice you. Don’t go
1:11  when they say: “Come with us. Let’s set up a deadly ambush. Let’s secretly wait for the innocent just for fun.
1:12  Let’s swallow up the living like the grave— whole, like those who go down into the pit.
1:13  We’ll find all sorts of precious wealth; we’ll fill our houses with plunder.
1:14  Throw in your lot with us; we’ll share our money.”
1:15  My son, don’t go on the path with them; keep your feet from their way,
1:16  because their feet run to evil; they hurry to spill blood.
1:17  It’s useless to cast a net in the sight of a bird.
1:18  But these sinners set up a deadly ambush; they lie in wait for their own lives.
1:19  These are the ways of all who seek unjust gain; it costs them their lives.
1:20  Wisdom shouts in the street; in the public square she raises her voice.
1:21  Above the noisy crowd, she calls out. At the entrances of the city gates, she has her say:
1:22  “How long will you clueless people love your naïveté, mockers hold their mocking dear, and fools hate knowledge?
1:23  You should respond when I correct you. Look, I’ll pour out my spirit on you. I’ll reveal my words to you.
1:24  I invited you, but you rejected me; I stretched out my hand to you, but you paid no attention.
1:25  You ignored all my advice, and you didn’t want me to correct you.
1:26  So I’ll laugh at your disaster; I’ll make fun of you when dread comes over you,
1:27  when terror hits you like a hurricane, and your disaster comes in like a tornado, when distress and oppression overcome you.
1:28  Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will seek me, but won’t find me
1:29  because they hated knowledge and didn’t choose the fear of the Lord.
1:30  They didn’t want my advice; they rejected all my corrections.
1:31  They will eat from the fruit of their way, and they’ll be full of their own schemes.
1:32  The immature will die because they turn away; smugness will destroy fools.
1:33  Those who obey me will dwell securely, untroubled by the dread of harm.”