1) Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel,
2) to know wisdom and instruction, to understand the sayings of reason;
3) learn the rules of prudence, justice, justice and righteousness;
4) give intelligence to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the youth;
5) the wise man will listen and increase his knowledge, and the wise man will find wise advice;
6) to understand parables and intricate speech, the words of the wise and their riddles.
7) The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; [good understanding of all who are led by him; and reverence for God is the beginning of understanding; fools only despise wisdom and instruction.
8) Hear, my son, the instruction of your father and do not reject your mother’s covenant,
9) because it is a beautiful crown for your head and an ornament for your neck.
10) My son! if sinners persuade you, do not agree;
11) if they say: “Come with us, we will set an ambush for murder, we will lie in wait for the blameless without guilt,
12) We will swallow them up alive, like the grave, and whole, like those descending into the grave;
13) Let us gather all kinds of precious property, and fill our houses with spoils;
14) you will cast your lot together with us, we will all have the same warehouse,” -
15) my son! do not go on a journey with them; keep your foot from their path,
16) because their feet run to evil and hasten to shed blood.
17) A net is laid in vain in the eyes of all birds,
18) but they lie in wait for their blood and lie in wait for their souls.
19) These are the ways of anyone who covets someone else’s goods: it takes the life of the one who takes possession of it.
20) Wisdom proclaims in the streets, raises her voice in the squares,
21) in the main meeting places he preaches, at the entrances to the city gates he speaks:
22) “How long, you ignorant ones, will you love ignorance? How long will the violent delight in violence? How long will the foolish hate knowledge?
23) Turn to my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit on you, I will proclaim my words to you.
24) I called, and you did not listen; I stretched out my hand, and there was no one to hear;
25) and you rejected all my advice and did not accept my reproofs.
26) For this reason I will laugh at your destruction; I will rejoice when horror comes upon you;
27) when terror comes upon you like a storm, and trouble comes upon you like a whirlwind; when sorrow and distress befall you.
28) Then they will call me, and I will not hear; They will look for me in the morning and will not find me.
29) Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord for themselves,
30) they did not accept my advice, they despised all my reproofs;
31) Therefore they will eat the fruit of their ways and be satisfied with their thoughts.
32) Because the stubbornness of the ignorant will kill them, and the carelessness of fools will destroy them,
33) and he who listens to me will live safely and calmly, without fear of evil."
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru