The purpose of Proverbs

1These are the ◄proverbs/wise sayings► that come from Solomon, the King of Israel, who was the son of King David.

2◄These proverbs [PRS] can teach people/By studying these proverbs, people can learn► how to be wise and how to obey what these proverbs teach them. They will also help people to understand which teachings are wise.

3These proverbs [PRS] will teach you how to discipline/control yourselves, how to conduct your lives,
and how to do what is right and just [DOU].

4They will show people who do not yet know much how to do things that are smart. They will show young people how to become wise and how to make good plans/decisions.

5Those who are wise should also pay attention to these proverbs, in order to become more wise, and those who understand these teachings will receive good advice/guidance.

6Then they will be able to understand the meaning of proverbs and parables/metaphors, these wise sayings and ◄riddles/sayings that are difficult to understand►.

7If you want to be wise, you must begin by revering Yahweh. Only foolish people despise wisdom and good advice/discipline.

Warnings about sinful people

8My son, pay attention to what I, your father, am teaching you.
And do not reject what your mother teaches you.

9What we teach you will make you respected like having a lovely turban around your head and like a beautiful necklace to put around your neck.

10My son, if sinners tempt/entice you to do what is wrong,
say “No” to them.

11They may say, “Come with us! Join us! We will hide and then kill [MTY] someone who passes by.
We will ambush some helpless/innocent people.

12We will kill them [HYP] and get rid of them completely, just like people who are buried in graves are gone forever. While they are in good health, we will send them to the place where dead people are.

13And we will seize all the things that they own. We will fill our houses with these things!

14So, come with us!
Join our group! We will share with you the things that we steal.”

15My son, do not accompany them! Do not walk on the roads with them!

16They rush to do evil deeds! They hurry to murder [MTY] people.

17It is useless to put out a ◄trap/net to catch a bird► because when a bird sees it, it stays away from it.

18But those wicked people are not like the birds,
because they do not realize that when they prepare to ambush someone to kill him, they will be killed themselves!

19That is what happens to people who eagerly try to get things by violently attacking others. They will only destroy themselves!

Wisdom shouts in the streets

20Wisdom [PRS] shouts to people in the streets, and calls out to people in the ◄plazas/town squares►.

21Wisdom calls out in noisy places, and at the entrances to cities.

22Wisdom says, “How long will you stupid people continue to enjoy doing foolish things [RHQ]? How long will you people who ridicule God enjoy doing that [RHQ]?
How long will you foolish people refuse to know what things are right [RHQ]?

23If you pay attention to me when I rebuke you, I will tell you what I am thinking in my inner being;
I will give you some good advice.

24But when I called to you, you refused to listen.
I beckoned to you to come to me, but you ignored me.

25I tried to advise you, but you refused to listen to me. I tried to correct you, but you rejected what I told you.

26So now, when you are experiencing troubles/disasters, I will laugh at you. When things happen that cause you to be afraid, I will make fun of you.

27When calamities strike you like a big storm,
when disasters hit you like a violent wind,
when all kinds of things distress you and give you trouble, I will ridicule you!

28Wisdom also says, “When foolish people call to me to help them, I will not answer them. They will search for me diligently/everywhere, but they will not find me.

29They refused to know what things are right, and they decided not to revere Yahweh.

30They would not accept my advice, and they did not pay attention when I tried to correct them.

31So they will endure what will result [MET, DOU] from the evil way they have lived/behaved and the evil things they have planned to do.

32Those who turn away from me are stupid/foolish; they will die because of doing that.

33But those who pay attention to me will live peacefully and safely, and they will not be afraid that something will harm them.”