¹The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

²for gaining wisdom and instruction;

for understanding words of insight;

³for receiving instruction in prudent behaviour,

doing what is right and just and fair;

⁴for giving prudence to those who are simple,

knowledge and discretion to the young –

⁵let the wise listen and add to their learning,

and let the discerning get guidance –

⁶for understanding proverbs and parables,

the sayings and riddles of the wise.

⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction

and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

⁹They are a garland to grace your head

and a chain to adorn your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinful men entice you,

do not give in to them.

¹¹If they say, ‘Come along with us;

let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,

let’s ambush some harmless soul;

¹²let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,

and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

¹³we will get all sorts of valuable things

and fill our houses with plunder;

¹⁴cast lots with us;

we will all share the loot’ –

¹⁵my son, do not go along with them,

do not set foot on their paths;

¹⁶for their feet rush into evil,

they are swift to shed blood.

¹⁷How useless to spread a net

where every bird can see it!

¹⁸These men lie in wait for their own blood;

they ambush only themselves!

¹⁹Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;

it takes away the life of those who get it.

²⁰Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,

she raises her voice in the public square;

²¹on top of the wall she cries out,

at the city gate she makes her speech:

²²‘How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?

How long will mockers delight in mockery

and fools hate knowledge?

²³Repent at my rebuke!

Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,

I will make known to you my teachings.

²⁴But since you refuse to listen when I call

and no-one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,

²⁵since you disregard all my advice

and do not accept my rebuke,

²⁶I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;

I will mock when calamity overtakes you –

²⁷when calamity overtakes you like a storm,

when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,

when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸‘Then they will call to me but I will not answer;

they will look for me but will not find me,

²⁹since they hated knowledge

and did not choose to fear the Lord.

³⁰Since they would not accept my advice

and spurned my rebuke,

³¹they will eat the fruit of their ways

and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

³²For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

³³but whoever listens to me will live in safety

and be at ease, without fear of harm.’