1 - The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
2 - To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
3 - To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
4 - To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
5 - (The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided:)
6 - To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
7 - The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
8 - My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
9 - For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
10 - My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.
11 - If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;
12 - Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death;
13 - Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
14 - Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
15 - My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
16 - For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
17 - Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
18 - And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
19 - Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
20 - Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
21 - Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
22 - How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?
23 - Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.
24 - Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
25 - You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
26 - So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
27 - When your fear comes on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you.
28 - Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
29 - For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:
30 - They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
31 - So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
32 - For the turning back of the simple from teaching will be the cause of their death, and the peace of the foolish will be their destruction.
33 - But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
