1 The proverbs of Solomon 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;
⁴ for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced,^[a]
knowledge and discretion to a young man—
⁵ let a wise person listen and increase learning,
and let a discerning person obtain guidance—
⁶ for understanding a proverb or a parable,^[b]
the words of the wise, and their riddles.

⁸ Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching,
⁹ for they will be a garland of favor on your head
and pendants^[c] around your neck.
¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you,
don’t be persuaded.
¹¹ If they say—“Come with us!
Let’s set an ambush and kill someone.^[d]
Let’s attack some innocent person just for fun!^[e]
12 Let’s swallow them alive, like Sheol,
whole, like those who go down to the Pit.
¹³ We’ll find all kinds of valuable property
and fill our houses with plunder.
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
or set foot on their path,
¹⁶ because their feet run toward evil
and they hurry to shed blood.
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;
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.
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 enjoy mocking
and you fools hate knowledge?
²³ If you respond to my warning,^[j]
then I will pour out my spirit on you
and teach you my words.
²⁴ Since I called out and you refused,
extended my hand and no one paid attention,
²⁵ since you neglected all my counsel
and did not accept my correction,
²⁶ I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.
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.
²⁹ Because they hated knowledge,
didn’t choose to fear the Lord,
³⁰ were not interested in my counsel,
and rejected all my correction,
³¹ they will eat the fruit of their way
and be glutted with their own schemes.
³² For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them,
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.”