New International Version  
Chapter 9
Invitations of Wisdom and of Folly
1Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn out its seven pillars.
2She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3She has sent out her maids, and she calls
from the highest point of the city.
4“Let all who are simple come in here!”
she says to those who lack judgment.
5“Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6Leave your simple ways and you will live;
walk in the way of understanding.
7“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11For through me your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
12If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.”
13The woman Folly is loud;
she is undisciplined and without knowledge.
14She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way.
16“Let all who are simple come in here!”
she says to those who lack judgment.
17“Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!”
18But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of the grave.Hebrew Sheol
Chapter 10
Proverbs of Solomon
1The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.
2Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
5He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
6Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.Or but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence; also in verse 11
7The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
9The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
10He who winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
12Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.
13Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
14Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
15The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16The wages of the righteous bring them life,
but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
17He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
18He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.
20The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.
22The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.
23A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
24What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.
25When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.
26As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him.
27The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
29The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
30The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.
31The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
Chapter 11
1The LORD abhors dishonest scales,
but accurate weights are his delight.
2When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
3The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
4Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
5The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
6The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
7When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes;
all he expected from his power comes to nothing.
8The righteous man is rescued from trouble,
and it comes on the wicked instead.
9With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.
10When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
11Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
12A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor,
but a man of understanding holds his tongue.
13A gossip betrays a confidence,
but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
14For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but many advisers make victory sure.
15He who puts up security for another will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.
16A kindhearted woman gains respect,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17A kind man benefits himself,
but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
18The wicked man earns deceptive wages,
but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
19The truly righteous man attains life,
but he who pursues evil goes to his death.
20The LORD detests men of perverse heart
but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
21Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free.
22Like a gold ring in a pig's snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
23The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
24One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
25A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
26People curse the man who hoards grain,
but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.
27He who seeks good finds goodwill,
but evil comes to him who searches for it.
28Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
29He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.
30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.
31If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

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