Friendship

1 The proverbs of Solomon^(A) son of David, king of Israel:
² For learning wisdom and discipline;
for understanding insightful sayings;
³ for receiving prudent instruction
in righteousness, justice, and integrity;^(B)
4 for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced,^[a](C)
knowledge and discretion^(D) to a young man—
⁵ let a wise person listen and increase learning,^(E)
and let a discerning person obtain guidance—
⁶ for understanding a proverb or a parable,^[b]
the words of the wise, and their riddles.^(F)

⁸ Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching,^(I)
9 for they will be a garland^(J) of favor on your head
and pendants^[c] around your neck.^(K)
10 My son, if sinners entice you,^(L)
don’t be persuaded.^(M)
11 If they say—“Come with us!
Let’s set an ambush^(N) and kill someone.^[d]
Let’s attack some innocent person^(O) just for fun!^[e]
12 Let’s swallow them alive,^(P) like Sheol,
whole, like those who go down to the Pit.^(Q)
13 We’ll find all kinds of valuable property
and fill our houses with plunder.^(R)
14 Throw in your lot with us,
and we’ll all share the loot”^[f]—
¹⁵ my son, don’t travel that road with them^(S)
or set foot on their path,^(T)
16 because their feet run toward evil
and they hurry to shed blood.^(U)
17 It is useless to spread a net
where any bird can see it,
¹⁸ but they set an ambush to kill themselves;^[g]
they attack their own lives.
¹⁹ Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly;^(V)
it takes the lives of those who receive it.^[h]

²⁰ Wisdom calls out in the street;
she makes her voice heard in the public squares.^(W)
21 She cries out above^[i] the commotion;
she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:
²² “How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance?
How long will you mockers^(X) enjoy mocking
and you fools hate knowledge?^(Y)
23 If you respond to my warning,^[j](Z)
then I will pour out my spirit on you^(AA)
and teach you my words.
²⁴ Since I called out and you refused,^(AB)
extended my hand and no one paid attention,^(AC)
25 since you neglected all my counsel^(AD)
and did not accept my correction,
²⁶ I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.^(AE)
I will mock when terror strikes you,
²⁷ when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when trouble and stress overcome you.
²⁸ Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;
they will search for me, but won’t find me.^(AF)
29 Because they hated knowledge,
didn’t choose to fear the Lord,^(AG)
30 were not interested in my counsel,
and rejected all my correction,^(AH)
31 they will eat the fruit of their way^(AI)
and be glutted with their own schemes.^(AJ)
32 For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them,^(AK)
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
³³ But whoever listens to me will live securely
and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.”^(AL)