Proverbs · Young's Literal Translation
Proverbs 1 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
1 The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
2 For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
2 to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
3 For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 For giving to simple ones — prudence, To a youth — knowledge and discretion.
4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man—
5 (The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)
5 that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel;
6 For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
6 to understand a proverb and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.
7 Fear of Jehovah [is] a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!
7 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,
8 My son, listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching;
9 For a graceful wreath [are] they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.
9 for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, don’t consent.
11 If they say, 'Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without 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 swallow them as Sheol — alive, And whole — as those going down [to] the pit,
12 Let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.
13 Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
13 We’ll find all valuable wealth. We’ll fill our houses with plunder.
14 Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is — to all of us.'
14 You shall cast your lot among us. We’ll all have one purse”—
15 My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,
15 my son, don’t walk on the path with them. Keep your foot from their path,
16 For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.
16 for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
17 For the net is spread in vain in the sight of any bird;
18 And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.
18 but these lay in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,
20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.
21 At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:
21 She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:
22 'Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools 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 Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.
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 have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,
24 Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
25 And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.
25 but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;
26 I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,
26 I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you,
27 When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.
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 they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.
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 that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.
29 because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.
30 They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,
30 They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
31 And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.
31 Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.
32 For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.
32 For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
33 And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!'
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)