Proverbs 9

¹Wisdom has built her house; she has carved its seven columns. ² She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table. ³ She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. ⁴ “Come in with me,” she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, ⁵ “Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. ⁶ Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment.”

⁷Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. ⁸ So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. ⁹ Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.

¹⁰Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

¹¹Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. ¹² If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.

Folly Calls for a Hearing ¹³ The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t know it. ¹⁴ She sits in her doorway on the heights overlooking the city. ¹⁵ She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business. ¹⁶ “Come in with me,” she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, ¹⁷ “Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!” ¹⁸ But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave. Hebrew in Sheol.