Proverbs 1; Proverbs 2; Proverbs 3; Proverbs 4; Proverbs 5; Proverbs 6; Proverbs 7; Proverbs 8; Proverbs 9

Proverbs 1

1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David and king of Israel.

2 Here are proverbs that will help you recognize wisdom and good advice, and understand sayings with deep meaning.

3 They can teach you how to live intelligently and how to be honest, just, and fair.

4 They can make an inexperienced person clever and teach young people how to be resourceful.

5 These proverbs can even add to the knowledge of the wise and give guidance to the educated,

6 so that they can understand the hidden meanings of proverbs and the problems that the wise raise.

7 To have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the Lord. Stupid people have no respect for wisdom and refuse to learn.

8 My child, pay attention to what your father and mother tell you.

9 Their teaching will improve your character as a handsome turban or a necklace improves your appearance.

10 My child, when sinners tempt you, don't give in.

11 Suppose they say, "Come on; let's find someone to kill! Let's attack some innocent people for the fun of it!

12 They may be alive and well when we find them, but they'll be dead when we're through with them!

13 We'll find all kinds of riches and fill our houses with loot!

14 Come and join us, and we'll all share what we steal."

15 My child, don't go with people like that. Stay away from them.

16 They can't wait to do something bad. They're always ready to kill.

17 It does no good to spread a net when the bird you want to catch is watching,

18 but people like that are setting a trap for themselves, a trap in which they will die.

19 Robbery always claims the life of the robber - this is what happens to anyone who lives by violence.

20 Listen! Wisdom is calling out in the streets and marketplaces,

21 calling loudly at the city gates and wherever people come together:

22 "Foolish people! How long do you want to be foolish? How long will you enjoy making fun of knowledge? Will you never learn?

23 Listen when I reprimand you; I will give you good advice and share my knowledge with you.

24 I have been calling you, inviting you to come, but you would not listen. You paid no attention to me.

25 You have ignored all my advice and have not been willing to let me correct you.

26 So when you get into trouble, I will laugh at you. I will make fun of you when terror strikes -

27 when it comes on you like a storm, bringing fierce winds of trouble, and you are in pain and misery.

28 Then you will call for wisdom, but I will not answer. You may look for me everywhere, but you will not find me.

29 You have never had any use for knowledge and have always refused to obey the Lord.

30 You have never wanted my advice or paid any attention when I corrected you.

31 So then, you will get what you deserve, and your own actions will make you sick.

32 Inexperienced people die because they reject wisdom. Stupid people are destroyed by their own lack of concern.

33 But whoever listens to me will have security. He will be safe, with no reason to be afraid."

Proverbs 2

1 My child, learn what I teach you and never forget what I tell you to do.

2 Listen to what is wise and try to understand it.

3 Yes, beg for knowledge; plead for insight.

4 Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure.

5 If you do, you will know what it means to fear the Lord and you will succeed in learning about God.

6 It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding.

7 He provides help and protection for those who are righteous and honest.

8 He protects those who treat others fairly, and guards those who are devoted to him.

9 If you listen to me, you will know what is right, just, and fair. You will know what you should do.

10 You will become wise, and your knowledge will give you pleasure.

11 Your insight and understanding will protect you

12 and prevent you from doing the wrong thing. They will keep you away from people who stir up trouble by what they say -

13 those who have abandoned a righteous life to live in the darkness of sin,

14 those who find pleasure in doing wrong and who enjoy senseless evil,

15 unreliable people who cannot be trusted.

16 You will be able to resist any immoral woman who tries to seduce you with her smooth talk,

17 who is faithless to her own husband and forgets her sacred vows.

18 If you go to her house, you are traveling the road to death. To go there is to approach the world of the dead.

19 No one who visits her ever comes back. He never returns to the road to life.

20 So you must follow the example of good people and live a righteous life.

21 Righteous people - people of integrity - will live in this land of ours.

22 But God will snatch the wicked from the land and pull sinners out of it like plants from the ground.

Proverbs 3

1 My child, don't forget what I teach you. Always remember what I tell you to do.

2 My teaching will give you a long and prosperous life.

3 Never let go of loyalty and faithfulness. Tie them around your neck; write them on your heart.

4 If you do this, both God and people will be pleased with you.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know.

6 Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.

7 Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the Lord and refuse to do wrong.

8 If you do, it will be like good medicine, healing your wounds and easing your pains.

9 Honor the Lord by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces.

10 If you do, your barns will be filled with grain, and you will have too much wine to store it all.

11 My child, when the Lord corrects you, pay close attention and take it as a warning.

12 The Lord corrects those he loves, as parents correct a child of whom they are proud.

13 Happy is anyone who becomes wise - who comes to have understanding.

14 There is more profit in it than there is in silver; it is worth more to you than gold.

15 Wisdom is more valuable than jewels; nothing you could want can compare with it.

16 Wisdom offers you long life, as well as wealth and honor.

17 Wisdom can make your life pleasant and lead you safely through it.

18 Those who become wise are happy; wisdom will give them life.

19 The Lord created the earth by his wisdom; by his knowledge he set the sky in place.

20 His wisdom caused the rivers to flow and the clouds to give rain to the earth.

21 My child, hold on to your wisdom and insight. Never let them get away from you.

22 They will provide you with life - a pleasant and happy life.

23 You can go safely on your way and never even stumble.

24 You will not be afraid when you go to bed, and you will sleep soundly through the night.

25 You will not have to worry about sudden disasters, such as come on the wicked like a storm.

26 The Lord will keep you safe. He will not let you fall into a trap.

27 Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it.

28 Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.

29 Don't plan anything that will hurt your neighbors; they live beside you, trusting you.

30 Don't argue with others for no reason when they have never done you any harm.

31 Don't be jealous of violent people or decide to act as they do,

32 because the Lord hates people who do evil, but he takes righteous people into his confidence.

33 The Lord puts a curse on the homes of the wicked, but blesses the homes of the righteous.

34 He has no use for conceited people, but shows favor to those who are humble.

35 Wise people will gain an honorable reputation, but stupid people will only add to their own disgrace.

Proverbs 4

1 My children, listen to what your father teaches you. Pay attention, and you will have understanding.

2 What I am teaching you is good, so remember it all.

3 When I was only a little boy, my parents' only son,

4 my father would teach me. He would say, "Remember what I say and never forget it. Do as I tell you, and you will live.

5 Get wisdom and insight! Do not forget or ignore what I say.

6 Do not abandon wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will keep you safe.

7 Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do. Whatever else you get, get insight.

8 Love wisdom, and she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will bring you honor.

9 She will be your crowning glory."

10 Listen to me, my child. Take seriously what I am telling you, and you will live a long life.

11 I have taught you wisdom and the right way to live.

12 Nothing will stand in your way if you walk wisely, and you will not stumble when you run.

13 Always remember what you have learned. Your education is your life - guard it well.

14 Do not go where evil people go. Do not follow the example of the wicked.

15 Don't do it! Keep away from evil! Refuse it and go on your way.

16 Wicked people cannot sleep unless they have done something wrong. They lie awake unless they have hurt someone.

17 Wickedness and violence are like food and drink to them.

18 The road the righteous travel is like the sunrise, getting brighter and brighter until daylight has come.

19 The road of the wicked, however, is dark as night. They fall, but cannot see what they have stumbled over.

20 My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen to my words.

21 Never let them get away from you. Remember them and keep them in your heart.

22 They will give life and health to anyone who understands them.

23 Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

24 Never say anything that isn't true. Have nothing to do with lies and misleading words.

25 Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame.

26 Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right.

27 Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don't go one step off the right way.

Proverbs 5

1 My child, pay attention and listen to my wisdom and insight.

2 Then you will know how to behave properly, and your words will show that you have knowledge.

3 The lips of another man's wife may be as sweet as honey and her kisses as smooth as olive oil,

4 but when it is all over, she leaves you nothing but bitterness and pain.

5 She will take you down to the world of the dead; the road she walks is the road to death.

6 She does not stay on the road to life; but wanders off, and does not realize what is happening.

7 Now listen to me, sons, and never forget what I am saying.

8 Keep away from such a woman! Don't even go near her door!

9 If you do, others will gain the respect that you once had, and you will die young at the hands of merciless people.

10 Yes, strangers will take all your wealth, and what you have worked for will belong to someone else.

11 You will lie groaning on your deathbed, your flesh and muscles being eaten away,

12 and you will say, "Why would I never learn? Why would I never let anyone correct me?

13 I wouldn't listen to my teachers. I paid no attention to them.

14 And suddenly I found myself publicly disgraced."

15 Be faithful to your own wife and give your love to her alone.

16 Children that you have by other women will do you no good.

17 Your children should grow up to help you, not strangers.

18 So be happy with your wife and find your joy with the woman you married -

19 pretty and graceful as a deer. Let her charms keep you happy; let her surround you with her love.

20 Son, why should you give your love to another woman? Why should you prefer the charms of another man's wife?

21 The Lord sees everything you do. Wherever you go, he is watching.

22 The sins of the wicked are a trap. They get caught in the net of their own sin.

23 They die because they have no self-control. Their utter stupidity will send them to their graves.

Proverbs 6

1 My child, have you promised to be responsible for someone else's debts?

2 Have you been caught by your own words, trapped by your own promises?

3 Well then, my child, you are in that person's power, but this is how to get out of it: hurry to him, and beg him to release you.

4 Don't let yourself go to sleep or even stop to rest.

5 Get out of the trap like a bird or a deer escaping from a hunter.

6 Lazy people should learn a lesson from the way ants live.

7 They have no leader, chief, or ruler,

8 but they store up their food during the summer, getting ready for winter.

9 How long is the lazy man going to lie around? When is he ever going to get up?

10 "I'll just take a short nap," he says; "I'll fold my hands and rest a while."

11 But while he sleeps, poverty will attack him like an armed robber.

12 Worthless, wicked people go around telling lies.

13 They wink and make gestures to deceive you,

14 all the while planning evil in their perverted minds, stirring up trouble everywhere.

15 Because of this, disaster will strike them without warning, and they will be fatally wounded.

16 There are seven things that the Lord hates and cannot tolerate: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that kill innocent people, a mind that thinks up wicked plans, feet that hurry off to do evil, a witness who tells one lie after another, and someone who stirs up trouble among friends

20 Son, do what your father tells you and never forget what your mother taught you.

21 Keep their words with you always, locked in your heart.

22 Their teaching will lead you when you travel, protect you at night, and advise you during the day.

23 Their instructions are a shining light; their correction can teach you how to live.

24 It can keep you away from bad women, from the seductive words of other men's wives.

25 Don't be tempted by their beauty; don't be trapped by their flirting eyes.

26 A man can hire a prostitute for the price of a loaf of bread, but adultery will cost him all he has.

27 Can you carry fire against your chest without burning your clothes?

28 Can you walk on hot coals without burning your feet?

29 It is just as dangerous to sleep with another man's wife. Whoever does it will suffer.

30 People don't despise a thief if he steals food when he is hungry;

31 yet if he is caught, he must pay back seven times more - he must give up everything he has.

32 But a man who commits adultery doesn't have any sense. He is just destroying himself.

33 He will be dishonored and beaten up; he will be permanently disgraced.

34 A husband is never angrier than when he is jealous; his revenge knows no limits.

35 He will not accept any payment; no amount of gifts will satisfy his anger.

Proverbs 7

1 My child, remember what I say and never forget what I tell you to do.

2 Do what I say, and you will live. Be as careful to follow my teaching as you are to protect your eyes.

3 Keep my teaching with you all the time; write it on your heart.

4 Treat wisdom as your sister, and insight as your closest friend.

5 They will keep you away from other men's wives, from women with seductive words.

6 Once I was looking out the window of my house,

7 and I saw many inexperienced young men, but noticed one foolish fellow in particular.

8 He was walking along the street near the corner where a certain woman lived. He was passing near her house

9 in the evening after it was dark.

10 And then she met him; she was dressed like a prostitute and was making plans.

11 She was a bold and shameless woman who always walked the streets

12 or stood waiting at a corner, sometimes in the streets, sometimes in the marketplace.

13 She threw her arms around the young man, kissed him, looked him straight in the eye, and said,

14 "I made my offerings today and have the meat from the sacrifices.

15 So I came out looking for you. I wanted to find you, and here you are!

16 I've covered my bed with sheets of colored linen from Egypt.

17 I've perfumed it with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come on! Let's make love all night long. We'll be happy in each other's arms.

19 My husband isn't at home. He's on a long trip.

20 He took plenty of money with him and won't be back for two weeks."

21 So she tempted him with her charms, and he gave in to her smooth talk.

22 Suddenly he was going with her like an ox on the way to be slaughtered, like a deer prancing into a trap

23 where an arrow would pierce its heart. He was like a bird going into a net - he did not know that his life was in danger.

24 Now then, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to what I say.

25 Do not let such a woman win your heart; don't go wandering after her.

26 She has been the ruin of many men and caused the death of too many to count.

27 If you go to her house, you are on the way to the world of the dead. It is a shortcut to death.

Proverbs 8

1 Listen! Wisdom is calling out. Reason is making herself heard.

2 On the hilltops near the road and at the crossroads she stands.

3 At the entrance to the city, beside the gates, she calls:

4 "I appeal to all of you; I call to everyone on earth.

5 Are you immature? Learn to be mature. Are you foolish? Learn to have sense.

6 Listen to my excellent words; all I tell you is right.

7 What I say is the truth; lies are hateful to me.

8 Everything I say is true; nothing is false or misleading.

9 To those with insight, it is all clear; to the well-informed, it is all plain.

10 Choose my instruction instead of silver; choose knowledge rather than the finest gold.

11 "I am Wisdom, I am better than jewels; nothing you want can compare with me.

12 I am Wisdom, and I have insight; I have knowledge and sound judgment.

13 To honor the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words.

14 I make plans and carry them out. I have understanding, and I am strong.

15 I help kings to govern and rulers to make good laws.

16 Every ruler on earth governs with my help, officials and nobles alike.

17 I love those who love me; whoever looks for me can find me.

18 I have riches and honor to give, prosperity and success.

19 What you get from me is better than the finest gold, better than the purest silver.

20 I walk the way of righteousness; I follow the paths of justice,

21 giving wealth to those who love me, filling their houses with treasures.

22 "The Lord created me first of all, the first of his works, long ago.

23 I was made in the very beginning, at the first, before the world began.

24 I was born before the oceans, when there were no springs of water.

25 I was born before the mountains, before the hills were set in place,

26 before God made the earth and its fields or even the first handful of soil.

27 I was there when he set the sky in place, when he stretched the horizon across the ocean,

28 when he placed the clouds in the sky, when he opened the springs of the ocean

29 and ordered the waters of the sea to rise no further than he said. I was there when he laid the earth's foundations.

30 I was beside him like an architect, I was his daily source of joy, always happy in his presence -

31 happy with the world and pleased with the human race.

32 "Now, young people, listen to me. Do as I say, and you will be happy.

33 Listen to what you are taught. Be wise; do not neglect it.

34 Those who listen to me will be happy - those who stay at my door every day, waiting at the entrance to my home.

35 Those who find me find life, and the Lord will be pleased with them.

36 Those who do not find me hurt themselves; anyone who hates me loves death."

Proverbs 9

1 Wisdom has built her house and made seven columns for it.

2 She has had an animal killed for a feast, mixed spices in the wine, and set the table.

3 She has sent her servant women to call out from the highest place in town:

4 "Come in, ignorant people!" And to the foolish she says,

5 "Come, eat my food and drink the wine that I have mixed.

6 Leave the company of ignorant people, and live. Follow the way of knowledge."

7 If you correct conceited people, you will only be insulted. If you reprimand evil people, you will only get hurt.

8 Never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you.

9 Anything you say to the wise will make them wiser. Whatever you tell the righteous will add to their knowledge.

10 To be wise you must first have reverence for the Lord. If you know the Holy One, you have understanding.

11 Wisdom will add years to your life.

12 You are the one who will profit if you have wisdom, and if you reject it, you are the one who will suffer.

13 Stupidity is like a loud, ignorant, shameless woman.

14 She sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the highest part of town,

15 and calls out to people passing by, who are minding their own business:

16 "Come in, ignorant people!" To the foolish she says,

17 "Stolen water is sweeter. Stolen bread tastes better."

18 Her victims do not know that the people die who go to her house, that those who have already entered are now deep in the world of the dead.