Proverbs 1

The proverbs of Sulayman Ibn Dawud, king of Israel:

²To know wisdom and instruction;

To discern the words of understanding;

³To receive instruction in wise dealing,

In righteousness, justice, and equity;

⁴To give prudence to the simple,

Knowledge and discretion to the young man:

⁵That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning;

That the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel:

⁶To understand a proverb, and parables,

The words and riddles of the wise.

⁷The fear of Allah is the beginning of knowledge;

But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸My son, listen to your father's instruction,

And do not forsake your mother's teaching:

⁹For they will be a garland to grace your head,

And chains around your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

¹¹If they say, "Come with us,

Let's lay in wait for blood;

Let's lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

¹²Let's swallow them up alive like the grave,

And whole, like those who go down into the pit.

¹³We'll find all valuable wealth.

We'll fill our houses with spoil.

¹⁴You shall cast your lot among us.

We'll all have one purse."

¹⁵My son, do not walk in the way with them.

Keep your foot from their path,

¹⁶For their feet run to evil.

They hurry to shed blood.

¹⁷For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird:

¹⁸But these lay wait for their own blood.

They lurk secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain.

It takes away the life of its owners.

²⁰Wisdom calls aloud in the street.

She utters her voice in the public squares.

²¹She 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?

²³Turn at my reproof.

Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you.

I will make known my words to you.

²⁴Because I have called, and you have refused;

I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;

²⁵But you have ignored all my counsel,

And wanted none of my reproof;

²⁶I also will laugh at your disaster.

I will mock when calamity overtakes you;

²⁷When calamity overtakes you like a storm,

When your disaster comes on like a whirlwind;

When distress and anguish come on you.

²⁸Then will they call on me, but I will not answer.

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me;

²⁹Because they hated knowledge,

And didn't choose the fear of Allah.

³⁰They wanted none of my counsel.

They despised all my reproof.

³¹Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way,

And be filled with their own schemes.

³²For the backsliding of the simple will kill them.

The careless ease of fools will destroy them.

³³But whoever listens to me will dwell securely,

And will be at ease, without fear of harm."