1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;1.3 equity: Heb. equities 4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.1.4 discretion: or, advisement 5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.1.6 the interpretation: or, an eloquent speech
7¶ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.1.7 the beginning: or, the principal part 8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.1.9 an…: Heb. an adding
10¶ My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 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 up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: 15My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 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.1.17 in the…: Heb. in the eyes of every thing that hath a wing 18And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
20¶ Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:1.20 Wisdom: Heb. Wisdoms, that is, Excellent wisdom 21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24¶ Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 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 fear cometh; 27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 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 shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.1.32 turning…: or, ease of the simple 33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Botae Ne Nsɛmpɔw
1Dawid babarima Salomo, Israelhene, mmebusɛm ni:
2Ne botae ne sɛ ɛbɛkyerɛ nnipa nyansa ne ahohyɛso;
ne sɛ ɛbɛboa ama wɔate nsɛm a emu dɔ ase;
3sɛ wobenya akwankyerɛ wɔ abrabɔ pa mu,
a ɛbɛma wɔayɛ ade pa, nea ɛteɛ na ho nni asɛm;
4sɛ ɛbɛma nea nʼadwene mu nnɔ anya nyansa
na mmabun anya nimdeɛ ne adwene,
5anyansafo ntie na wɔmfa nka nea wonim ho,
na nea ɔwɔ nhumu nya akwankyerɛ a
6ɛbɛma wate mmɛ ne kasammebu,
anyansafo nsɛnka ne abisaa ase.
7Awurade suro yɛ nimdeɛ mfiase,
na nkwaseafo bu nyansa ne ahohyɛso animtiaa.
Nyansapɛ Ho Afotusɛm
Nnaadaa Ho Kɔkɔbɔ
8Me ba, tie wʼagya akwankyerɛ
na mpo wo na nkyerɛkyerɛ.
9Ɛbɛyɛ wo ti anuonyam abotiri
ne wo kɔn mu atweaban.
10Me ba, sɛ nnebɔneyɛfo twetwe wo a,
mma wɔn ho kwan.
11Sɛ wɔka se, “Bra ma yɛnkɔ;
ma yɛnkɔtetɛw na yenkum obi,
ma yɛnkɔtɛw ntwɛn mmɔborɔni bi;
12ma yɛmmemene wɔn anikann sɛ ɔda,
koraa, te sɛ wɔn a wɔkɔ ɔda mu;
13yebenya nneɛma a ɛsom bo ahorow
na yɛde asade ahyɛ yɛn afi ma;
14fa wo ho bɛhyɛ mu,
na wubenya wo kyɛfa wɔ ahonyade no mu.”
15Me ba, wo ne wɔn nnantew,
mfa wo nan nsi wɔn akwan so;
16Wɔn anan de ntɛmpɛ kɔ bɔne mu,
na wɔde ahoɔhare ka mogya gu.
17So nni mfaso sɛ obi besum nnomaafiri
wɔ beae a anomaa biara hu!
18Saa nnipa yi tetɛw pɛ wɔn ankasa mogya;
wɔtetɛw wɔn ankasa wɔn ho!
19Saa na wɔn a wodi akorɔnne akyi no awiei te;
ɛma wɔhwere wɔn nkwa!
Nyansa A Wɔpo Ho Kɔkɔbɔ
20Nyansa teɛ mu wɔ mmɔnten so,
ɔma ne nne so wɔ aguabɔbea,
21ɔteɛ mu wɔ afasu no atifi,
ɔkasa wɔ kuropɔn no apon ano se,
22“Mo adwenharefo, mobɛyɛ adwenhare akosi da bɛn?
Fɛwdifo bedi fɛw akosi da bɛn?
Nkwaseafo bekyi nimdeɛ akosi da bɛn?
23Sɛ mutiee mʼanimka a,
anka mekaa me koma mu nsɛm nyinaa kyerɛɛ mo
ma muhuu me nsusuwii.
24Nanso sɛ muyii mo aso, bere a mefrɛɛ mo
na amfa obiara ho, bere a meteɛɛ me nsa mu,
25sɛ mopoo mʼafotu,
na moampɛ mʼanimka nti,
26me nso mɛserew mo wɔ mo amanehunu mu;
sɛ abɛbrɛsɛ bi bu fa mo so a, midi mo ho fɛw,
27sɛ abɛbrɛsɛ bi bu fa mo so te sɛ ahum,
na amanehunu bi bɔ fa mo so sɛ mfɛtɛ,
na awerɛhow ne ɔhaw mene mo a,
28“Afei wɔbɛfrɛ me, nanso meremmua;
wɔbɛhwehwɛ me, nanso wɔrenhu me.
29Esiane sɛ wokyii nimdeɛ
na wɔampɛ sɛ wobesuro Awurade,
30sɛ wɔpoo mʼafotu,
na wobuu me nteɛso animtiaa nti,
31wobedi wɔn akwan so aba;
na wɔn nhyehyɛe mu aduan bɛmee wɔn.
32Na ntetekwaafo asoɔden bekum wɔn,
na nkwaseafo tirimudɛ bɛsɛe wɔn;
33Nanso obiara a obetie me no, ɔbɛtena ase asomdwoe mu
na ne ho bɛtɔ no a ɔrensuro ɔhaw biara.”
