| New King James Version | King James Bible |
| 1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: | 1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; |
| 2To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, | 2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; |
| 3To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; | 3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; |
| 4To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— | 4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. |
| 5A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, | 5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: |
| 6To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. | 6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. |
| 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. | 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. |
| 8My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; | 8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: |
| 9For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck. | 9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. |
| 10My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. | 10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. |
| 11If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; | 11If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: |
| 12Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, And whole, like those who go down to the Pit; | 12Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: |
| 13We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; | 13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: |
| 14Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse”— | 14Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: |
| 15My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; | 15My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: |
| 16For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. | 16For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. |
| 17Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; | 17Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. |
| 18But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives. | 18And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. |
| 19So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners. | 19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. |
| 20Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. | 20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: |
| 21She cries out in the chief concourses, At the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words: | 21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, |
| 22“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge. | 22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? |
| 23Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. | 23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. |
| 24Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, | 24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; |
| 25Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, | 25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: |
| 26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, | 26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; |
| 27When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. | 27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. |
| 28“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. | 28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: |
| 29Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD, | 29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: |
| 30They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. | 30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. |
| 31Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. | 31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. |
| 32For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; | 32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. |
| 33But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.” | 33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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