Proverbes (NAB) 1
1 1 The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
2 That men may appreciate wisdom and discipline, may understand words of intelligence;
3 May receive training in wise conduct, in what is right, just and honest;
4 That resourcefulness may be imparted to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 A wise man by hearing them will advance in learning, an intelligent man will gain sound guidance,
6 That he may comprehend proverb and parable, the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; wisdom and instruction fools despise.
8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and reject not your mother's teaching;
9 A graceful diadem will they be for your head; a torque for your neck.
10 My son, should sinners entice you,
11 and say, "Come along with us! Let us lie in wait for the honest man, let us, unprovoked, set a trap for the innocent;
12 Let us swallow them up, as the nether world does, alive, in the prime of life, like those who go down to the pit!
13 All kinds of precious wealth shall we gain, we shall fill our houses with booty;
14 Cast in your lot with us, we shall all have one purse!"--
15 My son, walk not in the way with them, hold back your foot from their path!
16 (For their feet run to evil, they hasten to shed blood.)
17 It is in vain that a net is spread before the eyes of any bird--
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood, they set a trap for their own lives.
19 This is the fate of everyone greedy of loot: unlawful gain takes away the life of him who acquires it.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the open squares she raises her voice;
21 Down the crowded ways she calls out, at the city gates she utters her words:
22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love inanity,
23 how long will you turn away at my reproof? Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, I will acquaint you with my words.
24 "Because I called and you refused, I extended my hand and no one took notice;
25 Because you disdained all my counsel, and my reproof you ignored--
26 I, in my turn, will laugh at your doom; I will mock when terror overtakes you;
27 When terror comes upon you like a storm, and your doom approaches like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish befall you.
28 "Then they call me, but I answer not; they seek me, but find me not;
29 Because they hated knowledge, and chose not the fear of the LORD;
30 They ignored my counsel, they spurned all my reproof; And in their arrogance they preferred arrogance, and like fools they hated knowledge:
31 "Now they must eat the fruit of their own way, and with their own devices be glutted.
32 For the self-will of the simple kills them, the smugness of fools destroys them.
33 But he who obeys me dwells in security, in peace, without fear of harm."
2 1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands,
2 Turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you call to intelligence, and to understanding raise your voice;
4 If you seek her like silver, and like hidden treasures search her out:
5 Then will you understand the fear of the LORD; the knowledge of God you will find;
6 For the LORD gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He has counsel in store for the upright, he is the shield of those who walk honestly,
8 Guarding the paths of justice, protecting the way of his pious ones.
9 Then you will understand rectitude and justice, honesty, every good path;
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will please your soul,
11 Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you;
12 Saving you from the way of evil men, from men of perverse speech,
13 Who leave the straight paths to walk in the way of darkness,
14 Who delight in doing evil, rejoice in perversity;
15 Whose ways are crooked, and devious their paths;
16 Saving you from the wife of another, from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the pact with her God;
18 For her path sinks down to death, and her footsteps lead to the shades;
19 None who enter thereon come back again, or gain the paths of life.
20 Thus you may walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of the just.
21 For the upright will dwell in the land, the honest will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land, the faithless will be rooted out of it.
3 1 My son, forget not my teaching, keep in mind my commands;
2 For many days, and years of life, and peace, will they bring you.
3 Let not kindness and fidelity leave you; bind them around your neck;
4 Then will you win favor and good esteem before God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not;
6 In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the LORD and turn away from evil;
8 This will mean health for your flesh and vigor for your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with first fruits of all your produce;
10 Then will your barns be filled with grain, with new wine your vats will overflow.
11 The discipline of the LORD, my son, disdain not; spurn not his reproof;
12 For whom the LORD loves he reproves, and he chastises the son he favors.
13 Happy the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding!
14 For her profit is better than profit in silver, and better than gold is her revenue;
15 She is more precious than corals, and none of your choice possessions can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand, in her left are riches and honor;
17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace;
18 She is a tree of life to those who grasp her, and he is happy who holds her fast.
19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, established the heavens by understanding;
20 By his knowledge the depths break open, and the clouds drop down dew.
21 My son, let not these slip out of your sight: keep advice and counsel in view;
22 So will they be life to your soul, and an adornment for your neck.
23 Then you may securely go your way; your foot will never stumble;
24 When you lie down, you need not be afraid, when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden terror, of the ruin of the wicked when it comes;
26 For the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from the snare.
27 Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him.
28 Say not to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give," when you can give at once.
29 Plot no evil against your neighbor, against him who lives at peace with you.
30 Quarrel not with a man without cause, with one who has done you no harm.
31 Envy not the lawless man and choose none of his ways:
32 To the LORD the perverse man is an abomination, but with the upright is his friendship.
33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but the dwelling of the just he blesses;
34 When he is dealing with the arrogant, he is stern, but to the humble he shows kindness.
35 Honor is the possession of wise men, but fools inherit shame.
4 1 Hear, O children, a father's instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding!
2 Yes, excellent advice I give you; my teaching do not forsake.
3 When I was my father's child, frail, yet the darling of my mother,
4 He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart hold fast my words: keep my commands, that you may live!
5 "Get wisdom, get understanding! Do not forget or turn aside from the words I utter.
6 Forsake her not, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will safeguard you;
7 The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom; at the cost of all you have, get understanding.
8 Extol her, and she will exalt you; she will bring you honors if you embrace her;
9 She will put on your head a graceful diadem; a glorious crown will she bestow on you."
10 Hear, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life shall be many.
11 On the way of wisdom I direct you, I lead you on straightforward paths.
12 When you walk, your step will not be impeded, and should you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold fast to instruction, never let her go; keep her, for she is your life.
14 The path of the wicked enter not, walk not on the way of evil men;
15 Shun it, cross it not, turn aside from it, and pass on.
16 For they cannot rest unless they have done evil; to have made no one stumble steals away their sleep.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just is like shining light, that grows in brilliance till perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; they know not on what they stumble.
20 My son, to my words be attentive, to my sayings incline your ear;
21 Let them not slip out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, to man's whole being they are health.
23 With closest custody, guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life.
24 Put away from you dishonest talk, deceitful speech put far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and your glance be directly forward.
26 Survey the path for your feet, and let all your ways be sure.
27 Turn neither to right nor to left, keep your foot far from evil.
5 1 My son, to my wisdom be attentive, to my knowledge incline your ear,
2 That discretion may watch over you, and understanding may guard you.
3 The lips of an adulteress drip with honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, as sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death, to the nether world her steps attain;
6 Lest you see before you the road to life, her paths will ramble, you know not where.
7 So now, O children, listen to me, go not astray from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her, approach not the door of her house,
9 Lest you give your honor to others, and your years to a merciless one;
10 Lest strangers have their fill of your wealth, your hard-won earnings go to an alien's house;
11 And you groan in the end, when your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 And you say, "Oh, why did I hate instruction, and my heart spurn reproof!
13 Why did I not listen to the voice of my teachers, nor to my instructors incline my ear!
14 I have all but come to utter ruin, condemned by the public assembly!"
15 Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
16 How may your water sources be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets?
17 Let your fountain be yours alone, not one shared with strangers;
18 And have joy of the wife of your youth,
19 your lovely hind, your graceful doe. Her love will invigorate you always, through her love you will flourish continually,
20 Why then, my son, should you go astray for another's wife and accept the embraces of an adulteress?
21 For each man's ways are plain to the LORD'S sight; all their paths he surveys;
22 By his own iniquities the wicked man will be caught, in the meshes of his own sin he will be held fast;
23 He will die from lack of discipline, through the greatness of his folly he will be lost.
6 1 My son, if you have become surety to your neighbor, given your hand in pledge to another,
2 You have been snared by the utterance of your lips, caught by the words of your mouth;
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor's power: Go, hurry, stir up your neighbor!
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids;
5 Free yourself as a gazelle from the snare, or as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, study her ways and learn wisdom;
7 For though she has no chief, no commander or ruler,
8 She procures her food in the summer, stores up her provisions in the harvest.
9 How long, O sluggard, will you rest? when will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest--
11 Then will poverty come upon you like a highway man, and want like an armed man.
12 A scoundrel, a villain, is he who deals in crooked talk.
13 He winks his eyes, shuffles his feet, makes signs with his fingers;
14 He has perversity in his heart, is always plotting evil, sows discord.
15 Therefore suddenly ruin comes upon him; in an instant he is crushed beyond cure.
16 There are six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him;
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
18 A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,
19 The false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
20 Observe, my son, your father's bidding, and reject not your mother's teaching;
21 Keep them fastened over your heart always, put them around your neck;
22 When you lie down she will watch over you, and when you wake, she will share your concerns; wherever you turn, she will guide you.
23 For the bidding is a lamp, and the teaching a light, and a way to life are the reproofs of discipline;
24 To keep you from your neighbor's wife, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Lust not in your heart after her beauty, let her not captivate you with her glance!
26 For the price of a loose woman may be scarcely a loaf of bread, But if she is married, she is a trap for your precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his garments not burned?
28 Or can a man walk on live coals, and his feet not be scorched?
29 So with him who goes in to his neighbor's wife-- none who touches her shall go unpunished.
30 Men despise not the thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry;
31 Yet if he be caught he must pay back sevenfold; all the wealth of his house he may yield up.
32 But he who commits adultery is a fool; he who would destroy himself does it.
33 A degrading beating will he get, and his disgrace will not be wiped away;
34 For vindictive is the husband's wrath, he will have no pity on the day of vengeance;
35 He will not consider any restitution, nor be satisfied with the greatest gifts.
7 1 My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands.
2 Keep my commands and live, my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 Bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to Wisdom, "You are my sister!" call Understanding, "Friend!"
5 That they may keep you from another's wife, from the adulteress with her smooth words.
6 For at the window of my house, through my lattice I looked out--
7 And I saw among the simple ones, I observed among the young men, a youth with no sense,
8 Going along the street near the corner, then walking in the direction of her house--
9 In the twilight, at dusk of day, at the time of the dark of night.
10 And lo! the woman comes to meet him, robed like a harlot, with secret designs--
11 She is fickle and unruly, in her home her feet cannot rest;
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the open squares, and at every corner she lurks in ambush--
13 When she seizes him, she kisses him, and with an impudent look says to him:
14 "I owed peace offerings, and today I have fulfilled my vows;
15 So I came out to meet you, to look for you, and I have found you!
16 With coverlets I have spread my couch, with brocaded cloths of Egyptian linen;
17 I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon.
18 "Come, let us drink our fill of love, until morning, let us feast on love!
19 For my husband is not at home, he has gone on a long journey;
20 A bag of money he took with him, not till the full moon will he return home."
21 She wins him over by her repeated urging, with her smooth lips she leads him astray;
22 He follows her stupidly, like an ox that is led to slaughter; Like a stag that minces toward the net,
23 till an arrow pierces its liver; Like a bird that rushes into a snare, unaware that its life is at stake.
24 So now, O children, listen to me, be attentive to the words of my mouth!
25 Let not your heart turn to her ways, go not astray in her paths;
26 For many are those she has struck down dead, numerous, those she has slain.
27 Her house is made up of ways to the nether world, leading down into the chambers of death.
8 1 Does not Wisdom call, and Understanding raise her voice?
2 On the top of the heights along the road, at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 By the gates at the approaches of the city, in the entryways she cries aloud:
4 "To you, O men, I call; my appeal is to the children of men.
5 You simple ones, gain resource, you fools, gain sense.
6 "Give heed! for noble things I speak; honesty opens my lips.
7 Yes, the truth my mouth recounts, but the wickedness my lips abhor.
8 Sincere are all the words of my mouth, no one of them is wily or crooked;
9 All of them are plain to the man of intelligence, and right to those who attain knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction in preference to silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 (For Wisdom is better than corals, and no choice possessions can compare with her.)
12 "I, Wisdom, dwell with experience, and judicious knowledge I attain.
13 (The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;) Pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Mine are counsel and advice; Mine is strength; I am understanding.
15 By me kings reign, and lawgivers establish justice;
16 By me princes govern, and nobles; all the rulers of earth.
17 "Those who love me I also love, and those who seek me find me.
18 With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than pure gold, and my revenue than choice silver.
20 On the way of duty I walk, along the paths of justice,
21 Granting wealth to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.
22 "The LORD begot me, the first-born of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
23 From of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains or springs of water;
25 Before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet the earth and the fields were not made, nor the first clods of the world.
27 "When he established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
28 When he made firm the skies above, when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
29 When he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command;
30 Then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, Playing before him all the while,
31 playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the sons of men.
32 "So now, O children, listen to me;
33 instruction and wisdom do not reject! Happy the man who obeys me, and happy those who keep my ways,
34 Happy the man watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts;
35 For he who finds me finds life, and wins favor from the LORD;
36 But he who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death."
9 1 Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns;
2 She has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city:
4 "Let whoever is simple turn in here; to him who lacks understanding, I say,
5 Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!
6 Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.
7 He who corrects an arrogant man earns insult; and he who reproves a wicked man incurs opprobrium.
8 Reprove not an arrogant man, lest he hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise man, and he becomes still wiser; teach a just man, and he advances in learning.
10 The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied and the years of your life increased."
12 If you are wise, it is to your own advantage; and if you are arrogant, you alone shall bear it.
13 The woman Folly is fickle, she is inane, and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house upon a seat on the city heights,
15 Calling to passers-by as they go on their straight way:
16 "Let whoever is simple turn in here, or who lacks understanding; for to him I say,
17 Stolen water is sweet, and bread gotten secretly is pleasing!"
18 Little he knows that the shades are there, that in the depths of the nether world are her guests!
10 1 The Proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes his father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but virtue saves from death.
3 The LORD permits not the just to hunger, but the craving of the wicked he thwarts.
4 The slack hand impoverishes, but the hand of the diligent enriches.
5 A son who fills the granaries in summer is a credit; a son who slumbers during harvest, a disgrace.
6 Blessings are for the head of the just, but a rod for the back of the fool.
7 The memory of the just will be blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 A wise man heeds commands, but a prating fool will be overthrown.
9 He who walks honestly walks securely, but he whose ways are crooked will fare badly.
10 He who winks at a fault causes trouble, but he who frankly reproves promotes peace.
11 A fountain of life is the mouth of the just, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up disputes, but love covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of the intelligent is found wisdom, (but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence).
14 Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool is imminent ruin.
15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city; the ruination of the lowly is their poverty.
16 The just man's recompense leads to life, the gains of the wicked, to sin.
17 A path to life is his who heeds admonition, but he who disregards reproof goes astray.
18 It is the lips of the liar that conceal hostility; but he who spreads accusations is a fool.
19 Where words are many, sin is not wanting; but he who restrains his lips does well.
20 Like choice silver is the just man's tongue; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21 The just man's lips nourish many, but fools die for want of sense.
22 It is the LORD'S blessing that brings wealth, and no effort can substitute for it.
23 Crime is the entertainment of the fool; so is wisdom for the man of sense.
24 What the wicked man fears will befall him, but the desire of the just will be granted.
25 When the tempest passes, the wicked man is no more; but the just man is established forever.
26 As vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, is the sluggard to those who use him as a messenger.
27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are brief.
28 The hope of the just brings them joy, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nought.
29 The LORD is a stronghold to him who walks honestly, but to evildoers, their downfall.
30 The just man will never be disturbed, but the wicked will not abide in the land.
31 The mouth of the just yields wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the just know how to please, but the mouth of the wicked, how to pervert.
Proverbes (NAB) 1