Proverbs · Geneva Bible (1599)
Proverbs 1 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
1 The Parables of Salomon the sonne of Dauid King of Israel,
1 The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To knowe wisdome, and instruction, to vnderstand ye wordes of knowledge,
2 to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
3 To receiue instruction to do wisely, by iustice and iudgement and equitie,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 To giue vnto the simple, sharpenesse of wit, and to the childe knowledge and discretion.
4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man—
5 A wise man shall heare and increase in learning, and a man of vnderstanding shall attayne vnto wise counsels,
5 that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel;
6 To vnderstand a parable, and the interpretation, the wordes of ye wise, and their darke sayings.
6 to understand a proverb and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.
7 The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction.
7 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
8 My sonne, heare thy fathers instruction, and forsake not thy mothers teaching.
8 My son, listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching;
9 For they shalbe a comely ornament vnto thine head, and as chaines for thy necke.
9 for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.
10 My sonne, if sinners doe intise thee, consent thou not.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, don’t consent.
11 If they say, Come with vs, we will lay waite for blood, and lie priuilie for the innocent without a cause:
11 If they say, “Come with us. Let’s lie in wait for blood. Let’s lurk secretly for the innocent without cause.
12 We wil swallow them vp aliue like a graue euen whole, as those that goe downe into the pit:
12 Let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.
13 We shall finde all precious riches, and fill our houses with spoyle:
13 We’ll find all valuable wealth. We’ll fill our houses with plunder.
14 Cast in thy lot among vs: we will all haue one purse:
14 You shall cast your lot among us. We’ll all have one purse”—
15 My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them: refraine thy foote from their path.
15 my son, don’t walk on the path with them. Keep your foot from their path,
16 For their feete runne to euill, and make haste to shed blood.
16 for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.
17 Certainely as without cause the net is spred before the eyes of all that hath wing:
17 For the net is spread in vain in the sight of any bird;
18 So they lay waite for blood and lie priuily for their liues.
18 but these lay in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 Such are the wayes of euery one that is greedy of gaine: he would take away the life of the owners thereof.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdome cryeth without: she vttereth her voyce in the streetes.
20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.
21 She calleth in the hye streete, among the prease in the entrings of the gates, and vttereth her wordes in the citie, saying,
21 She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:
22 O ye foolish, howe long will ye loue foolishnes? and the scornefull take their pleasure in scorning, and the fooles hate knowledge?
22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?
23 (Turne you at my correction: loe, I will powre out my mind vnto you, and make you vnderstand my wordes)
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 haue called, and ye refused: I haue stretched out mine hand, and none woulde regarde.
24 Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
25 But ye haue despised all my counsell, and would none of my correction.
25 but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;
26 I will also laugh at your destruction, and mocke, when your feare commeth.
26 I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you,
27 Whe your feare cometh like sudden desolation, and your destruction shall come like a whirle wind: whe affliction and anguish shall come vpon 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 shall they call vpon me, but I will not answere: they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me,
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 did not chuse the feare of the Lord.
29 because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.
30 They would none of my counsell, but despised all my correction.
30 They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eate of ye fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuises.
31 Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.
32 For ease slaieth the foolish, and the prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them.
32 For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
33 But he that obeyeth me, shall dwell safely, and be quiet from feare of euill.
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Cross references (32)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Proverbs 10:1; 1 Chronicles 22:9; 1 Chronicles 28:5; Ecclesiastes 1:1; Proverbs 25:1
- 2 Proverbs 7:4; Deuteronomy 4:5–6; Proverbs 17:16; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; 1 Kings 3:9–12
- 3 Proverbs 2:1–9; Job 22:22; 1 Kings 3:28; Proverbs 8:10–11
- 4 Proverbs 8:5; Proverbs 8:17; Psalm 119:9; Psalm 119:130; Proverbs 8:32
- 5 Proverbs 12:1; Proverbs 9:9; 1 Corinthians 10:15; Job 34:10; Job 34:16
- 6 Psalm 78:2; Mark 4:11; Psalm 49:4; Hebrews 5:14; Acts 8:30–31
- 7 Job 28:28; Proverbs 9:10; Psalms 111:10–112:1; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Proverbs 15:33
- 8 Proverbs 6:20; Proverbs 30:17; Proverbs 5:1–2; Proverbs 31:1; 2 Timothy 1:5
- 9 Proverbs 4:9; Daniel 5:29; Genesis 41:42; Proverbs 6:20–21; Proverbs 3:22
- 10 Ephesians 5:11; Proverbs 16:29; Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 13:20; Deuteronomy 13:8
- 11 Proverbs 1:18; Jeremiah 5:26; Proverbs 12:6; Jeremiah 18:18–20; Acts 25:3
- 12 Psalm 124:3; Psalm 28:1; Romans 3:13; Micah 3:2–3; Psalm 5:9
- 13 1 Timothy 6:9–10; Luke 12:15; Job 24:2–3; Nahum 2:12; Isaiah 10:13–14
- 15 Psalm 119:101; Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 4:14–15; Proverbs 4:27; Psalm 26:4–5
- 16 Isaiah 59:7; Proverbs 6:18; Proverbs 4:16; Romans 3:5
- 17 Job 35:11; Jeremiah 8:7; Proverbs 7:23; Isaiah 1:3
- 18 Psalm 9:16; Esther 7:10; Proverbs 28:17; Proverbs 5:22–23; Psalm 7:14–16
- 19 Proverbs 15:27; 2 Peter 2:3; Proverbs 23:3–4; Jeremiah 22:17–19; Habakkuk 2:9
- 20 Proverbs 9:3; Colossians 2:3; Proverbs 8:1–5; Luke 11:49; 1 Corinthians 1:24
- 21 Acts 5:20; Matthew 10:27; Proverbs 9:3; Matthew 13:2; John 18:20
- 22 Proverbs 1:29; Proverbs 5:12; John 3:20; 2 Peter 3:3; Psalm 1:1
- 23 Acts 3:19; Ezekiel 33:11; Ezekiel 18:27–30; Acts 2:36–38; Joel 2:28
- 24 Romans 10:21; Isaiah 65:12; Jeremiah 7:13; Isaiah 66:4; Hebrews 12:25–26
- 25 Luke 7:30; Psalm 81:11; Proverbs 1:30; Proverbs 12:1; Psalm 107:11
- 26 Proverbs 10:24; Psalm 37:13; Psalm 2:4; Proverbs 6:15; Luke 14:24
- 27 Proverbs 3:25–26; Psalm 69:22–28; Psalm 58:9; Proverbs 10:24–25; Romans 2:9
- 28 Micah 3:4; Zechariah 7:13; James 4:3; Jeremiah 11:11; Isaiah 1:15
- 29 Proverbs 6:23; Proverbs 1:22; Job 21:14–15; Hebrews 11:25; Isaiah 27:11
- 30 Psalm 81:11; Proverbs 1:25; Luke 14:18–20; Jeremiah 8:9; Psalm 119:173
- 31 Proverbs 14:14; Jeremiah 6:19; Job 4:8; Proverbs 22:8; Galatians 6:7–8
- 32 Proverbs 8:36; John 3:36; Jeremiah 2:19; Luke 16:19–25; Hebrews 12:25
- 33 Psalm 25:12–13; Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 112:7–8; John 10:27–29; Proverbs 14:26
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For it is better for you that ye should occupy a humble but honourable place in the flock of Christ, than that, being highly exalted, ye should be cast out from the hope of His people. For thus speaketh all-virtuous Wisdom: "Behold, I will bring forth to you the words of My Spirit, and I will teach you My speech.
Now, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;" the sense of sin leads to repentance, and God bestows His compassion upon those who are penitent.
… what we read in the Proverbs of impious men saying, "Let us unrighteously hide in the earth the righteous man; yea, let us swallow him up alive as hell, and let us take away his memory from the earth: let us seize his precious possession," is not so obscure that it may not be understood, without laborious exposition, of Christ …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… and therefore the "wisdom" of God, by means of which she saves all men, "is declared in [its] going forth; it uttereth [its voice] faithfully in the streets, is preached on the tops of the walls, and speaks continually in the gates of the city." For the Church preaches the truth everywhere, and she is the seven-branched candlestick which bears …
… by ought of their own; but that wisdom was in them, of which it is written in a certain book, she shall say to those that despised her, when they have fallen upon the evils which she threatened them; "I will laugh over your destruction." What wonder then is it, that the wise mock the foolish virgins?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)