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The Way of Wisdom

 Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
² She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
³ She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
⁴ “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
⁵ “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
⁶ Leave your simple ways,^[a] and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”

⁷ Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
⁸ Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
⁹ Give instruction^[b] to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
¹¹ For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
¹² If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The Way of Folly

¹³ The woman Folly is loud;
she is seductive^[c] and knows nothing.
¹⁴ She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
¹⁵ calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
¹⁶ “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
¹⁷ “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
¹⁸ But he does not know that the dead^[d] are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 9:6 Or Leave the company of the simple
2. Proverbs 9:9 Hebrew lacks instruction
3. Proverbs 9:13 Or full of simpleness
4. Proverbs 9:18 Hebrew Rephaim

Cross references:

1. Proverbs 9:1 : [Matt. 16:18; 1 Pet. 2:5]; See Eph. 2:20-22
2. Proverbs 9:1 : [Rev. 1:4]
3. Proverbs 9:1 : [1 Tim. 3:15]
4. Proverbs 9:2 : [Matt. 22:4]
5. Proverbs 9:2 : ch. 23:30; Song 8:2
6. Proverbs 9:2 : Ps. 23:5; [Luke 14:17]
7. Proverbs 9:3 : [Ps. 68:11; Matt. 22:3; 23:34]
8. Proverbs 9:3 : ch. 8:1, 2
9. Proverbs 9:3 : ver. 14; ch. 8:2; [Matt. 10:27]
10. Proverbs 9:4 : ver. 16; [Matt. 11:25; 1 Cor. 1:26]
11. Proverbs 9:4 : ch. 6:32
12. Proverbs 9:5 : [Song 5:1; Isa. 55:1; John 6:27]
13. Proverbs 9:5 : [John 7:37]
14. Proverbs 9:5 : [See ver. 2 above]; ch. 23:30; Song 8:2
15. Proverbs 9:6 : See ch. 1:4
16. Proverbs 9:6 : [ver. 11]
17. Proverbs 9:6 : [ch. 23:19]
18. Proverbs 9:8 : [Matt. 7:6]
19. Proverbs 9:8 : See Ps. 141:5
20. Proverbs 9:9 : [Matt. 13:12]
21. Proverbs 9:9 : ch. 1:5
22. Proverbs 9:10 : See ch. 1:7
23. Proverbs 9:10 : ch. 30:3
24. Proverbs 9:11 : [ch. 10:27]; See ch. 3:2
25. Proverbs 9:12 : [Job 22:2, 3; 1 Cor. 3:8; Gal. 6:5]
26. Proverbs 9:13 : For ver. 13-18, see ch. 7:7-27
27. Proverbs 9:13 : ch. 7:11
28. Proverbs 9:13 : ch. 5:6
29. Proverbs 9:14 : ver. 3
30. Proverbs 9:15 : [ver. 6]
31. Proverbs 9:16 : ver. 4
32. Proverbs 9:17 : [ch. 5:15]
33. Proverbs 9:17 : [ch. 20:17; 30:20]
34. Proverbs 9:18 : See ch. 7:27