| 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. |