Proverbs Chapter 1
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2
To know wisdom and instruction;
3
To discern the words of understanding;
4
To receive instruction in wise dealing,
5
In righteousness and justice and equity;
6
To give prudence to the simple,
7
To the young man knowledge and discretion:
8
That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning;
9
And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:
10
To understand a proverb, and a figure,
11
The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
12
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge;
13
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
14
My son, hear the instruction of thy father,
15
And forsake not the law of thy mother:
16
For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head,
17
And chains about thy neck.
18
My son, if sinners entice thee,
19
Consent thou not.
20
If they say, Come with us,
21
Let us lay wait for blood;
22
Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;
23
Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol,
24
And whole, as those that go down into the pit;
25
We shall find all precious substance;
26
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
27
Thou shalt cast thy lot among us;
28
We will all have one purse:
29
My son, walk not thou in the way with them;
30
Refrain thy foot from their path:
31
For their feet run to evil,
32
And they make haste to shed blood.
33
For in vain is the net spread
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2
to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
3
to receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness and judgment, and equity;
4
to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5
He that is wise will hear, and will increase learning; and the intelligent will gain wise counsels:
6
to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas.
7
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8
Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
9
for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not.
11
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12
let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those that go down into the pit;
13
we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14
cast in thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:
15
— my son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path;
16
for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17
For in vain the net is spread in the sight of anything which hath wings.
18
And these lay wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives.
19
So are the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its possessors.
20
Wisdom crieth without; she raiseth her voice in the broadways;
21
she calleth in the chief [place] of concourse, in the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words:
22
How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge?
23
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known to you my words.
24
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;
25
and ye have rejected all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26
I also will laugh in your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;
27
when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you:
28
— then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, and shall not find me.
29
Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah;
30
they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof:
31
therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way, and be filled with their own devices.
32
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall cause them to perish.
33
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from fear of evil.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
The Proverbs of Solomon son of David, who reigned in Israel;
2
to know wisdom and instruction, and to perceive words of understanding;
3
to receive also hard sayings, and to understand true justice, and [how] to direct judgment;
4
that he might give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man discernment and understanding.
5
For by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser, and the man of understanding will gain direction;
6
and will understand a parable, and a dark speech; the sayings of the wise also, and riddles.
7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and [there is] good understanding to all that practise it: and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment; but the ungodly will set at nought wisdom and instruction.
8
Hear, [my] son, the instruction of thy father, and reject not the rules of thy mother.
9
For thou shalt receive for thine head a crown of graces, and a chain of gold round thy neck.
10
[My] son, let not ungodly men lead thee astray, neither consent thou [to them].
11
If they should exhort thee, saying, Come with us, partake in blood, and let us unjustly hide the just man in the earth:
12
and let us swallow him alive, as Hades [would], and remove the memorial of him from the earth:
13
let us seize on his valuable property, and let us fill our houses with spoils:
14
but do thou cast in thy lot with us, and let us all provide a common purse, and let us have one pouch:
15
go not in the way with them, but turn aside thy foot from their paths:
17
for nets are not without cause spread for birds.
18
For they that are concerned in murder store up evils for themselves; and the overthrow of transgressors is evil.
19
These are the ways of all that perform lawless deeds; for by ungodliness they destroy their own life.
20
Wisdom sings aloud in passages, and in the broad places speaks boldly.
21
And she makes proclamation on the top of the walls, and sits by the gates of princes; and at the gates of the city boldly says,
22
So long as the simple cleave to justice, they shall not be ashamed: but the foolish being lovers of haughtiness, having become ungodly have hated knowledge, and are become subject to reproofs.
23
Behold, I will bring forth to you the utterance of my breath, and I will instruct you in my speech.
24
Since I called, and ye did not hearken; and I spoke at length, and ye gave no heed;
25
but ye set at nought my counsels, and disregarded my reproofs;
26
therefore I also will laugh at your destruction; and I will rejoice against [you] when ruin comes upon you:
27
yea when dismay suddenly comes upon you, and [your] overthrow shall arrive like a tempest; and when tribulation and distress shall come upon you, or when ruin shall come upon you.
28
For it shall be that when ye call upon me, I will not hearken to you: wicked men shall seek me, but shall not find [me].
29
For they hated wisdom, and did not choose the word of the Lord:
30
neither would they attend to my counsels, but derided my reproofs.
31
Therefore shall they eat the fruits of their own way, and shall be filled with their own ungodliness.
32
For because they wronged the simple, they shall be slain; and an inquisition shall ruin the ungodly.
33
But he that hearkens to me shall dwell in confidence, and shall rest securely from all evil.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Parabolæ Salomonis, filii David, regis Israel.
2
Ad sciendam sapientiam, et disciplinam:
3
ad intelligenda verba prudentiæ: et suscipiendam eruditionem doctrinæ, iustitiam, et iudicium, et æquitatem:
4
ut detur parvulis astutia, adolescenti scientia, et intellectus.
5
Audiens sapiens, sapientior erit: et intelligens, gubernacula possidebit.
6
Animadvertet parabolam, et interpretationem, verba sapientum, et ænigmata eorum.
7
Timor Domini principium sapientiæ. Sapientiam, atque doctrinam stulti despiciunt.
8
Audi, fili mi, disciplinam patris tui, et ne dimittas legem matris tuæ:
9
ut addatur gratia capiti tuo, et torques collo tuo.
10
Fili mi, si te lactaverint peccatores, ne acquiescas eis.
11
Si dixerint: Veni nobiscum, insidiemur sanguini, abscondamus tendiculas contra insontem frustra:
12
deglutiamus eum sicut infernus viventem, et integrum quasi descendentem in lacum.
13
Omnem pretiosam substantiam reperiemus, implebimus domos nostras spoliis.
14
Sortem mitte nobiscum, marsupium unum sit omnium nostrum.
15
Fili mi, ne ambules cum eis, prohibe pedem tuum a semitis eorum.
16
Pedes enim illorum ad malum currunt, et festinant ut effundant sanguinem.
17
Frustra autem iacitur rete ante oculos pennatorum.
18
Ipsi quoque contra sanguinem suum insidiantur, et moliuntur fraudes contra animas suas.
19
Sic semitæ omnis avari, animas possidentium rapiunt.
20
Sapientia foris prædicat, in plateis dat vocem suam:
21
in capite turbarum clamitat, in foribus portarum urbis profert verba sua, dicens:
22
Usquequo parvuli diligitis infantiam, et stulti ea, quæ sibi sunt noxia, cupient, et imprudentes odibunt scientiam?
23
Convertimini ad correptionem meam: en proferam vobis spiritum meum, et ostendam vobis verba mea.
24
Quia vocavi, et renuistis: extendi manum meam, et non fuit qui aspiceret.
25
Despexistis omne consilium meum, et increpationes meas neglexistis.
26
Ego quoque in interitu vestro ridebo, et subsannabo, cum vobis id, quod timebatis, advenerit.
27
Cum irruerit repentina calamitas, et interitus quasi tempestas ingruerit: quando venerit super vos tribulatio, et angustia:
28
Tunc invocabunt me, et non exaudiam: mane consurgent, et non invenient me:
29
eo quod exosam habuerint disciplinam, et timorem Domini non susceperint,
30
nec acquieverint consilio meo, et detraxerint universæ correptioni meæ.
31
Comedent igitur fructus viæ suæ, suisque consiliis saturabuntur.
32
Aversio parvulorum interficiet eos, et prosperitas stultorum perdet illos.
33
Qui autem me audierit, absque terrore requiescet, et abundantia perfruetur, timore malorum sublato.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
2
to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
3
to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4
to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man—
5
that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel;
6
to understand a proverb and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.
7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
8
My son, listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching;
9
for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.
10
My son, if sinners entice you, don’t consent.
11
If they say, “Come with us. Let’s lie in wait for blood. Let’s lurk secretly for the innocent without cause.
12
Let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.
13
We’ll find all valuable wealth. We’ll fill our houses with plunder.
14
You shall cast your lot among us. We’ll all have one purse”—
15
my son, don’t walk on the path with them. Keep your foot from their path,
16
for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.
17
For the net is spread in vain in the sight of any bird;
18
but these lay in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.
20
Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.
21
She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:
22
“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?
23
Turn at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make known my words to you.
24
Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
25
but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;
26
I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you,
27
when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you.
28
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me,
29
because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of the LORD.
30
They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
31
Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.
32
For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
33
But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm.”
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2
For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
3
For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
4
For giving to simple ones--prudence, To a youth--knowledge and discretion.
5
(The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)
6
For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
7
Fear of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!
8
Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,
9
For a graceful wreath <FI>are<Fi> they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.
10
My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.
11
If they say, `Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,
12
We swallow them as Sheol--alive, And whole--as those going down <FI>to<Fi> the pit,
13
Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses <FI>with<Fi> spoil,
14
Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is--to all of us.'
15
My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,
16
For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.
17
Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
18
And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.
19
So <FI>are<Fi> the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.
20
Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,
21
At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:
22
`Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools hate knowledge?
23
Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.
24
Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
25
And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.
26
I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,
27
When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.
28
Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.
29
Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.
30
They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
31
And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.
32
For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.
33
And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And <FI>is<Fi> quiet from fear of evil!'
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).