The Bible, King James version, Book 20: Proverbs

This eBook was produced by David Widger
with the help of Derek Andrew's text from January 1992
and the work of Bryan Taylor in November 2002.





Book 20        Proverbs

20:001:001 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

20:001:002 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of
           understanding;

20:001:003 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment,
           and equity;

20:001:004 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and
           discretion.

20:001:005 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of
           understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

20:001:006 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of
           the wise, and their dark sayings.

20:001:007 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools
           despise wisdom and instruction.

20:001:008 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not
           the law of thy mother:

20:001:009 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and
           chains about thy neck.

20:001:010 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

20:001:011 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us
           lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

20:001:012 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those
           that go down into the pit:

20:001:013 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses
           with spoil:

20:001:014 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

20:001:015 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot
           from their path:

20:001:016 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

20:001:017 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

20:001:018 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for
           their own lives.

20:001:019 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which
           taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

20:001:020 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

20:001:021 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of
           the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

20:001:022 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the
           scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

20:001:023 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto
           you, I will make known my words unto you.

20:001:024 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my
           hand, and no man regarded;

20:001:025 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my
           reproof:

20:001:026 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear
           cometh;

20:001:027 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction
           cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon
           you.

20:001:028 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they
           shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

20:001:029 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of
           the LORD:

20:001:030 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

20:001:031 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be
           filled with their own devices.

20:001:032 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the
           prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

20:001:033 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be
           quiet from fear of evil.

20:002:001 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my
           commandments with thee;

20:002:002 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine
           heart to understanding;

20:002:003 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice
           for understanding;

20:002:004 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for
           hid treasures;

20:002:005 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the
           knowledge of God.

20:002:006 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge
           and understanding.

20:002:007 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler
           to them that walk uprightly.

20:002:008 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of
           his saints.

20:002:009 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and
           equity; yea, every good path.

20:002:010 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is
           pleasant unto thy soul;

20:002:011 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

20:002:012 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man
           that speaketh froward things;