Proverbs 1
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The a proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
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To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
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To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
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To give prudence to the b simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion -
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c A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
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To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their d riddles.
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e The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
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f My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
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For they will be a g graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
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My son, if sinners entice you,
h Do not consent.
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If they say, "Come with us,
Let us i lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
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Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
And whole, j like those who go down to the Pit;
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We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
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Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse" -
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My son, k do not walk in the way with them,
l Keep your foot from their path;
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m For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
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Surely, in vain the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;
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But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
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n So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.
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o Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
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She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
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"How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
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Turn at my rebuke;
Surely p I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
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q Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
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Because you r disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
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s I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
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When t your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
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"Then u they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
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Because they v hated knowledge
And did not w choose the fear of the LORD,
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x They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
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Therefore y they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
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For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
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But whoever listens to me will dwell z safely,
And a will be secure, without fear of evil."
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Cross References
1 Kings 4:32
He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
Proverbs 10:1
The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
Proverbs 25:1
These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:
Ecclesiastes 12:9
And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.
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Cross References
Proverbs 9:4
Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him.
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Cross References
Proverbs 9:9
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
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Cross References
Numbers 12:8
I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?
Psalms 78:2
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old.
Daniel 8:23
And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.
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Cross References
Job 28:28
And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.'
Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
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Cross References
Proverbs 4:1
Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
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Cross References
Proverbs 3:22
So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck.
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Cross References
Genesis 39:7 - 10
And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me.
Deuteronomy 13:8
You shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him.
Psalms 50:18
When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.
Ephesians 5:11
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
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Cross References
Proverbs 12:6
The words of the wicked are, "Lie in wait for blood," But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
Jeremiah 5:26
For among My people are found wicked men; They lie in wait as one who sets snares; They set a trap; They catch men.
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Cross References
Psalms 28:1
To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.
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Cross References
Psalms 1:1
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
Proverbs 4:14
Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.
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Cross References
Psalms 119:101
I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.
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Cross References
Proverbs 6:17
A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood.
Proverbs 6:18
A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil.
Isaiah 59:7
Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths.
Romans 3:15
Their feet are swift to shed blood.
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Cross References
Proverbs 15:27
He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.
1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
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Cross References
Proverbs 8:1
Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice?
Proverbs 9:3
She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city.
John 7:37
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
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Cross References
Isaiah 32:15
Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
Joel 2:28
And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
John 7:39
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
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Cross References
Isaiah 65:12
Therefore I will number you for the sword, And you shall all bow down to the slaughter; Because, when I called, you did not answer; When I spoke, you did not hear, But did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.
Isaiah 66:4
So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.
Jeremiah 7:13
And now, because you have done all these works," says the LORD, "and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer.
Zechariah 7:11
But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.
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Cross References
Psalms 107:11
Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High.
Luke 7:30
But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.
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Cross References
Psalms 2:4
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision.
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Cross References
Proverbs 10:24
The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted.
Proverbs 10:25
When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 8:18
"And you will cry out in that day because of yo...
Job 27:9
Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him?
Job 35:12
There they cry out, but He does not answer, Bec...
Psalms 18:41
They cried out, but there was none to save; Eve...
Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands, I will hide My ...
Jeremiah 11:11
Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will s...
Jeremiah 14:12
"When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and...
Ezekiel 8:18
"Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will...
Micah 3:4
Then they will cry to the LORD, But He will not...
Zechariah 7:13
Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaim...
James 4:3
You ask and do not receive, because you ask ami...
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Cross References
Job 21:14
Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
Proverbs 1:22
How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.
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Cross References
Psalms 119:173
Let Your hand become my help, For I have chosen Your precepts.
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Cross References
Psalms 81:11
But My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me.
Proverbs 1:25
Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke.
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Cross References
Job 4:8
Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity An...
Proverbs 5:22
His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And h...
Proverbs 5:23
He shall die for lack of instruction, And in th...
Proverbs 22:8
He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the ...
Isaiah 3:11
Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, Fo...
Jeremiah 6:19
Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring c...
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Cross References
Proverbs 3:24 - 26
When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
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Cross References
Psalms 112:7
He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.