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- THE PROVERBS of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
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- To know wisdom and instruction;
to comprehend the words of understanding;
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- To receive the discipline of wisdom, justice, and right, and equity;
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- To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion;
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- That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and the man of understanding may attain unto wise counsels;
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- To understand a proverb, and a figure;
the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
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- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
but the foolish despise wisdom and discipline.
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- Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
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- For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
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- My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
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- If they say: "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us lurk for the innocent without cause;
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- Let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those that go down into the pit;
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- We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
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- Cast in thy lot among us;
let us all have one purse" -
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- My son, walk not thou in the way with them, restrain thy foot from their path;
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- For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
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- For in vain the net is spread in the eyes of any bird;
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- And these lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk for their own lives.
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- So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain;
it taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
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- Wisdom crieth aloud in the streets, she uttereth her voice in the broad places;
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- She calleth at the head of the noisy streets, at the entrances of the gates, in the city, she uttereth her words:
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- "How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness?
And how long will scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
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- Turn you at my reproof;
behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
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- Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man attended,
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- But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof;
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- I also, in your calamity, will laugh, I will mock when your dread cometh;
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- When your dread cometh as a storm, and your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind;
when trouble and distress come upon you.
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- Then will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me.
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- For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD;
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- They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof.
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- Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
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- For the waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them, and the confidence of fools shall destroy them.
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- But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil."
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