Proverb 1

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

Solomon is the writer and was blessed by God to be the wisest man on earth.  In this proverb Solomon does what a good teacher will do, he lays out the outline of what it is to be expected.

2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

By reading the book of Proverbs you will learn wisdom and instruction;  God's Word is wisdom that gives instruction to becoming wise.  If you continue in His Word you will learn to

recognize the words of God's mind, which is His free understanding made available to all men. 

3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

God will teach you how to gain wisdom, how to render justice to all men, and how to administer the right punishment to the crime committed, and how to treat people fairly.

4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

God will provide an understanding using the best way of communicating His terms.  He will break down any word to convey an understanding to all people.  God will reach the hard-to-reach young man.  Just like a young lion, young men sometimes are the hardest to reach.  God shows He can reach the simple-minded. (showing very little intelligence) and the young men who are two of the hardest people to train in their thinking.

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

A wise man will listen and he will advance in learning; and when he understands he will get hooked to wise instructions.

6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

God will give both the simple and the young men how to understand a proverb and the meaning:  God will give the hard to teach and the stubborn a way of understanding His Word.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The first step in life is to find God's Word and respect what He said.  If anyone ignores God's Word which steps one in life is a fool.

8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Dear son, listen to your parents who know the Word of God.

9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

When you obey your parents in the Lord, you will be set for life.  You will not need tattoos or any man-made ornaments to set you apart.  God's Word in you will be so attractive that it will dull anything identified as man's way of distinguishing you.  You will have no need for sororities or fraternities or club memberships.

10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

If anyone who disobeys's God Word offers you another way, ignore their invitation.

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

If an unrighteous man invites you, and they tell you upfront what they are going to do, and they lay down the plot to cause harm;

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

Let us take not only their lives but the entire family's lives and utterly kill them:

13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

We will soak all they have and fill our home with the good stuff:

14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

Still, they talk of mischief ..... We will put all the money we collect in one account:

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

Because you are mine, do not walk with them:  don't go in their path.

16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

Their feet move quickly to do wrong, and they hurry to kill the simple.

17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

Even a bird spots a net be set to trap him, will not go in that way.

18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

In a matter of time, it will be their own lives that will be caught in the traps they set for others.

19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

Greedy people set traps only for themselves.  Greedy people exploit families.

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

Wisdom makes a loud invitation.  She calls out outside.

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

Wisdom goes to the places that are well known and unashamedly calls people to refrain from all that contradicts the Word of God.

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

How long will you ignore God's Word and stay stupid?  Those who lead find ways to make those who are slow of understanding feel intimidated and consistently drain money from families.

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

When God reprimands us, it is for our good.  God will freely give you His way of doing things and God will explain His Word in a way you can understand.

24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

God calls us and we refused His invitation when we know we could not find anything wrong with what His messengers were saying.

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

But we who do not want God's Word cast every message He sent aside.

26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

God said He will laugh when we get in trouble after we blatantly ignored His instruction.

27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

When you have problems without a solution, or a sudden attack from seemingly out of nowhere, and you are filled with anxiety and you told God you do not need Him, He will laugh.

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

You will get up early and call out to me, who is God, and He will ignore your pain.

29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:

When God sent you instructions, you hated His knowledge.  God already knew this would happen to you and how you would respond because you did not respect what He said.

30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

They refused all of His instructions.  They despised all of God's warnings.

31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

Now you will get the harvest you sowed.

32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

All that you hoped to gain will be to your own destruction.

33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Anyone who listens to me will be safe if they do what I say, says the Word of God.