PROVERBS CHAPTER 1 (ORIGINAL 1611 KJV)

The actual, original, first printing of the 1611 King James Version (‘HE’ Bible) — Proverbs Chapter 1.

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CHAP. I.

1 The vse of the Prouerbes. 7 An exhortation to feare God and beleeue his word. 10 To auoyd the intisings of sinners. 20 Wisdome complaineth of her contempt. 24 She threatneth her contemners.

¹ The Prouerbes of Solomon the sonne of Dauid, King of Israel,

² To knowe wisedome and instruction, to perceiue the words of vnderstanding,

³ To receiue the instruction of wisdome, iustice, and iudgement & equitie,³

⁴ To giue subtiltie to the simple, to the yong man knowledge and discretion.⁴

⁵ A wise man wil heare, and wil increase learning: and a man of vnderstanding shall attaine vnto wise counsels:

⁶ To vnderstand a prouerbe, and the interpretation; the wordes of the wise, and their darke sayings.⁶

⁷ ¶ The feare of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fooles despise wisedome and instruction.⁷

⁸ My sonne, heare the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

⁹ For they shall be an ornament of grace vnto thy head, and chaines about thy necke.⁹

¹⁰ ¶ My sonne, if sinners entise thee, consent thou not.

¹¹ If they say, Come with vs, let vs lay wait for blood, let vs lurke priuily for the innocent without cause:

¹² Let vs swallow them vp aliue, as the graue, and whole, as those that goe downe into the pit:

¹³ Wee shall finde all precious substance, wee shall fill our houses with spoile:

¹⁴ Cast in thy lot among vs, let vs all haue one purse:

¹⁵ My sonne, walke not thou in the way with them; refraine thy foot from their path:

¹⁶ For their feete runne to euil, and make haste to shed blood.¹⁶

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

¹⁸ And they lay wait for their owne blood, they lurke priuily for their owne liues.

¹⁹ So are the waies of euery one that is greedie of gaine: which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

²⁰ ¶ Wisedome crieth without, she vttereth her voice in the streets:²⁰

²¹ Shee crieth in the chiefe place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she vttereth her words, saying,

²² How long, ye simple ones, will ye loue simplicitie? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fooles hate knowledge?

²³ Turne you at my reproofe: behold, I will powre out my spirit vnto you, I will make knowen my wordes vnto you.

²⁴ ¶ Because I haue called, and yee refused, I haue stretched out my hand, and no man regarded:²⁴

²⁵ But ye haue set at nought all my counsell, & would none of my reproofe:

²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamitie, I wil mocke when your feare commeth.

²⁷ When your feare commeth as desolation, and your destruction commeth as a whirlewinde; when distresse and anguish commeth vpon you:²⁷

²⁸ Then shall they call vpon mee, but I will not answere; they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me:²⁸

²⁹ For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the feare of the Lord.

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

³¹ Therefore shall they eate of the fruite of their owne way, and be filled with their owne deuices.

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

³³ But who so hearkneth vnto mee, shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from feare of euill.

Proverbs Chapter 1 Sidenote References (from Original 1611 KJV Bible)

³ Hebr. equities.
⁴ Or, aduisement.
⁶ Or, an eloquent speach.
⁷ Iob 28.28. psal. 111. 10. prou.9. 10. , Or, the principall part.
⁹ Hebr. an adding.
¹⁶ Isa.59.7. rom.3. 15.
¹⁷ Hebr. in the eyes of euery thing that hath a wing.
²⁰ Hebr. wisedomes, that is, excellent wisedome. , Prou.8. 1.
²⁴ Isa.65.12. and 66.4. ier.7.13. ezech.8.18
²⁷ Iob.27. 9 isa. 1. 15. ier.11.11. & 14. 12.
²⁸ Micah.3.4
³² Or, ease of the simple.

* Some content on this page courtesy of Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania

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Proverbs

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