Proverbs Chapter 1

Conversational Yahveh Covenant

¹ Proverbs of Solomon Ben-David, King of Israel

                                                             ²for knowing wisdom and instruction,

                                                 for understanding words that give insight,

                                                             ³for receiving instruction in smart living,

                                                 goodness, justice, and equity;

                                                             ⁴for giving prudence to the simple,

                                                  and knowledge and discretion to the young;

                                                             ⁵for increasing learning in the wise

                                                  and gaining skill at understanding;

                                                             ⁶for understanding proverbs and wise sayings,

                                                  riddles and profound speech.           

Prov 1:1-6

⁷ Respect for Yahveh is the first thing about being wise;

      foolish people despise wisdom and instruction.

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

            don’t leave your mother’s teaching;

      ⁹ they’ll be a crown for your head

            and a garland for your neck.                                      

Prov 1:7-9

¹⁰ Son, if sinners tempt you, don’t give in to them.

         ¹¹If they say, “Come on,

                  let’s lie in wait to shed blood

                  and ambush innocent people for fun.

                  ¹²Let’s swallow them alive and whole like Sheol,

                  like people that go down to the Pit.

                  ¹³We’ll get precious wealth

                  and fill our houses with plunder.

                  ¹⁴Throw in your lot with us,

                  and we’ll share the take”—

         ¹⁵ don’t go with them;

            stay off that road.

         ¹⁶They hurry to do harm;

            they rush to shed blood.                                             

Prov 1:10-16

¹⁷ There’s no point in spreading a net

            while the bird’s watching.

¹⁸ Sinners lie in wait for their own blood;

            they ambush their own lives.

         ¹⁹That’s how it is with people that profit from violence;

            it steals their own lives.                                             

Prov 1:17-19

²⁰ Wisdom shouts in the street;

            it raises its voice in the marketplace.

²¹ It cries out from the top of the wall,

            and says at the city gate:

         ²²“How long, simpletons, will you like being simpletons,

            and you scoffers delight in scoffing,

            and you foolish people hate knowledge?

         ²³Pay attention when I correct you;

            I’ll pour out my spirit on you

            and tell you what you need to know.

         ²⁴I called and you wouldn’t listen;

            I held out my hand, and you paid no attention.

         ²⁵You ignored my advice;

            you didn’t want me to correct you.

         ²⁶So I’ll laugh at your misfortune

            and mock you when panic strikes,

            ²⁷ when what you dread comes like a tornado,

            when distress come crashing down on you.              

Prov 1:20-27

         ²⁸Then you’ll call out to me, and I won’t answer;

            you’ll look for me, but not find me

            ²⁹ because you disregarded knowledge

            and chose not to respect Yahveh.

         ³⁰You wouldn’t accept my advice;

                  you despised being corrected;

                  ³¹so you’ll eat the fruit of how you lived

                  founder on your own schemes.

         ³²The waywardness of simpleminded people gets them killed;

            the complacency of fools destroys them.

         ³³But the ones that listen to me, live securely;

            they’re at ease without dreading misfortune.”          

Prov 1:28-33