¶ The proverbs¹ of Solomon² the son of David, king of Israel;

³To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

To receive⁴ the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity⁵;

To give subtilty⁶ to the⁷ simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion⁸.

A wise⁹ man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man¹⁰ of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

To understand a proverb¹¹, and the interpretation¹²; the words of the wise, and their dark¹³ sayings.

¶ The fear¹⁴ of the LORD is the beginning¹⁵ of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

My son¹⁶, hear¹⁷ the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

For they¹⁸ shall be an ornament¹⁹ of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

¶²⁰My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

If they say, Come with us, let us lay²¹ wait for blood, let us lurk²² privily for the innocent without cause:

Let us swallow²³ them up alive as the²⁴ grave; and whole²⁵, as those that go down into the pit:

²⁶We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

Cast in thy lot²⁷ among us;²⁸ let us all have one purse²⁹:

My son, walk³⁰ not thou in the way with them; refrain³¹ thy foot from their path:

³²For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

Surely in vain³³ the net is spread in the sight of any bird³⁴.

³⁵And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

So are the ways of every³⁶ one that is greedy of gain; which taketh³⁷ away the life of the owners thereof.

¶ Wisdom³⁸ crieth³⁹ without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

⁴⁰She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

How⁴¹ long, ye simple⁴² ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners⁴³ delight in their scorning, and fools⁴⁴ hate knowledge?

Turn⁴⁵ you at my reproof⁴⁶: behold,⁴⁷ I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

Because I have called⁴⁸, and ye refused; I have stretched⁴⁹ out my hand, and no man regarded;

But ye⁵⁰ have set at nought all my counsel, and would⁵¹ none of my reproof:

⁵²I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

When your fear⁵³ cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a⁵⁴ whirlwind; when distress⁵⁵ and anguish cometh upon you.

Then shall they⁵⁶ call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek⁵⁷ me early, but they shall not find me:

For that⁵⁸ they hated knowledge, and did not⁵⁹ choose the fear of the LORD:

¶⁶⁰They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

⁶¹Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

For the turning⁶² away of the simple shall slay them, and the⁶³ prosperity⁶⁴ of fools shall destroy them.

But whoso⁶⁵ hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall⁶⁶ be quiet from fear of evil.