Chapter 1

¹ The Proverbs of Solomon son of David,

Pr 1:1

² To know wisdom and instruction,

Pr 1:2

³ To receive also hard sayings,

Pr 1:3

⁴ That he might give subtlety to the simple,

Pr 1:4

⁵ For by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser,

Pr 1:5

⁶ And will understand a parable, and a dark speech;

Pr 1:6

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

Pr 1:7

⁸ Hear, [my] son, the instruction of thy father,

Pr 1:8

⁹ For thou shalt receive for thy head a crown of graces,

Pr 1:9

¹⁰ [My] son, let not ungodly men lead thee astray,

Pr 1:10

¹¹ If they should exhort thee, saying, Come with us, partake in blood,

Pr 1:11

¹² And let us swallow him alive, as Hades [would],

Pr 1:12

¹³ Let us seize on his valuable property,

Pr 1:13

¹⁴ But do thou cast in thy lot with us,

Pr 1:14

¹⁵ Go not in the way with them,

Pr 1:15

¹⁷ For nets are not without cause spread for birds.

Pr 1:17

¹⁸ For they that are concerned in murder store up evils for themselves;

Pr 1:18

¹⁹ These are the ways of all that perform lawless deeds;

Pr 1:19

²⁰ Wisdom sings aloud in passages,

Pr 1:20

²¹ And she makes proclamation on the top of the walls,

Pr 1:21

²² So long as the simple cleave to justice, they shall not be ashamed:

Pr 1:22

²³ Behold, I will bring forth to you the utterance of my breath,

Pr 1:23

²⁴ Since I called, and ye did not hearken;

Pr 1:24

²⁵ But ye set at nought my counsels,

Pr 1:25

²⁶ Therefore I also will laugh at your destruction;

Pr 1:26

²⁷ Yea when dismay suddenly comes upon you,

Pr 1:27

²⁸ For it shall be that when ye call upon me, I will not hearken to you:

Pr 1:28

²⁹ For they hated wisdom,

Pr 1:29

³⁰ Neither would they attend to my counsels,

Pr 1:30

³¹ Therefore shall they eat the fruits of their own way,

Pr 1:31

³² For because they wronged the simple, they shall be slain;

Pr 1:32

³³ But he that hearkens to me shall dwell in confidence,

Pr 1:33