¶The first Chapter.
1 The power and vse of the worde of God. 7 Of the feare of God and knowledge of his worde. 10 We may not consent to the intisinges of sinners. 20 Wysdome com∣playneth that she is contemned. 14 The punishment of them that contemne her.
[unspec A] 1 THe prouerbes of Solomon the sonne of Dauid, king of Israel:
2 To learne wisdome and instruction, & to perceaue the wordes of vnderstanding,
3 To receaue the instruction of wys∣dome, iustice, iudgement, and equitie:
4 To geue wyt vnto the simple, & that the young men might haue knowledge and vnderstanding.
5 The wyse man wyll geue eare, and wyll come by more wysdome, and he that is endued with vnderstanding, shall attayne vnto [wyse] counselles.
6 To vnderstande a parable, and the in∣terpretation thereof, the wordes of the wyse, and their darke speaches.
[unspec B] 7 * 1.1The feare of the Lorde is the begin∣ning of knowledge: but fooles dispise wysdome and instruction.
8 My sonne, heare thy fathers doctrine, & forsake not the “ 1.2 lawe of thy mother:
9 For they shalbe an encrease of grace vnto thy head, and [as] a chayne about thy necke.
10 My sonne, if sinners “ 1.3 entice thee, con∣sent not vnto them.
11 If they say, come with vs, let vs lay wayte for blood, and lurke priuily for the innocent without a cause,
12 Let vs * 1.4 swallowe them vp lyke the graue quicke and whole, as those that go downe into the pit:
13 So shall we finde all maner of costly riches, and fill our houses with spoyles:
14 Cast in thy lot among vs, and let vs all haue one purse.
15 My sonne, walke not thou with them, refrayne thy foote from their wayes.
16 For * 1.5 their feete runne to euill, and are hastie to shed blood.
17 But [as] in vayne, the nette is layde foorth before the byrdes eyes:
18 So these lay wayte for the blood of them, and lye priuily for their liues.
19 Suche [are] the wayes of euery one that is greedie of gayne, who taketh a∣way the lyfe of the owner therof.
20 * 1.6Wysdome cryeth without, and put∣teth foorth her voyce in the streates:
21 She calleth before the congregation [unspec D] in the open gates, and sheweth her wordes thorowe the citie, saying:
22 O ye chyldren, howe long will ye loue chyldishnes? howe long wyll the scor∣ners delite in scorning, and the vnwyse hate knowledge?
23 O turne you at my correction: lo I wyll expresse my minde vnto you, and make you vnderstande my wordes.
24 * 1.7Because I haue called, and ye refu∣sed, I haue stretched out my hand, and no man regarded:
25 But all my counsels haue ye dispised, and set my correction at naught:
26 Therefore wyll I also laugh at your destruction and mocke you, when the thing that ye feare commeth vpon you,
27 Euen when the thing that ye be a∣fraide of, falleth in sodenly like a storme, [unspec E] and your miserie lyke a tempest, yea when trouble and heauines commeth vpon you.
28 Then shall they call vpon me, but I wyll not aunswere: they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me:
29 And that because they hated know∣ledge, and did not chose the feare of the Lorde,
30 They woulde none of my counsayle, but dispised all my correction.
31 Therfore shall they eate of the fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne inuentions.
32 For the turning away of the vnwyse shall slay them, and the prosperitie of fooles shall destroy them.
33 * 1.8But whoso hearkeneth vnto me, shal dwell safely, and be sure from any feare of euyll.