We begin Proverbs again today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. This Book, and the nuggets of pure gold hidden in it, are so clear and powerful, WHEN we put them into practice! That means, as James encouraged us in James 1:2, we must DO the Word we hear in order to have the results that God Himself intends for the Word to have! AMEN! Here is Proverbs 1 from the Amplified Bible:
1 The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims, and parables) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 That people may know skillful and godly Wisdom and instruction, discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight, 3 Receive instruction in wise dealing and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity,
4 That prudence may be given to the simple, and knowledge, discretion, and discernment to the youth— 5 The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly]—
6 That people may understand a proverb and a figure of speech or an enigma with its interpretation, and the words of the wise and their dark sayings or riddles.
7 The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline.
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father; reject not nor forsake the teaching of your mother. 9 For they are a [victor’s] chaplet (garland) of grace upon your head and chains and pendants [of gold worn by kings] for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, Come with us; let us lie in wait [to shed] blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause [and show that his piety is in vain]; 12 Let us swallow them up alive as does Sheol (the place of the dead), and whole, as those who go down into the pit [of the dead]; 13 We shall find and take all kinds of precious goods [when our victims are put out of the way], we shall fill our houses with plunder; 14 Throw in your lot with us [they insist] and be a sworn brother and comrade; let us all have one purse in common—
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them; restrain your foot from their path; 16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird! 18 But [when these men set a trap for others] they are lying in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy of gain; such [greed for plunder] takes away the lives of its possessors.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the markets; 21 She cries at the head of the noisy intersections [in the chief gathering places]; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 22 How long, O simple ones [open to evil], will you love being simple? And the scoffers delight in scoffing and [self-confident] fools hate knowledge? 23 If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I have called and you have refused [to answer], have stretched out my hand and no man has heeded it, 25 And you treated as nothing all my counsel and would accept none of my reproof, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when the thing comes that shall cause you terror and panic— 27 When your panic comes as a storm and desolation and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then will they call upon me [Wisdom] but I will not answer; they will seek me early and diligently but they will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord, 30 Would accept none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices. 32 For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, and the careless ease of [self-confident] fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkens to me [Wisdom] shall dwell securely and in confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear or dread of evil.
Now I want to share the same Proverb from The Passion Translation. Using different translations is a great way to meditate the Word as Joshua 1:9 AMP tells us to do! Meditation gets the Word inside of us like no other form of study can! I realize that this will make the blog a long one, but you ARE here because you love and desire the Word of God, right? I have underlined some of the portions that I particularly like today!
Proverbs 1 The Passion Translation (TPT)
The prologue
1 Here are kingdom revelations, words to live by,
and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life,
written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon, David’s son.
2 Within these sayings will be found the revelation of wisdom
and the impartation of spiritual understanding. Use them as keys to unlock the treasures of true knowledge.
3 Those who cling to these words will receive discipline
to demonstrate wisdom in every relationship
and to choose what is right and just and fair.
4 These proverbs will give you great skill
to teach the immature and make them wise,
to give youth the understanding of their design and destiny.
5 For the wise, these proverbs will make you even wiser,
and for those with discernment,
you will be able to acquire brilliant strategies for leadership.
6 These kingdom revelations will break open your understanding
to unveil the deeper meaning of parables,
poetic riddles, and epigrams,
and to unravel the words and enigmas of the wise.
7 How then does a man gain the essence of wisdom?
We cross the threshold of true knowledge
when we live in obedient devotion to God.
Stubborn know-it-alls will never stop to do this,
for they scorn true wisdom and knowledge.
and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life,
written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon, David’s son.
2 Within these sayings will be found the revelation of wisdom
and the impartation of spiritual understanding. Use them as keys to unlock the treasures of true knowledge.
3 Those who cling to these words will receive discipline
to demonstrate wisdom in every relationship
and to choose what is right and just and fair.
4 These proverbs will give you great skill
to teach the immature and make them wise,
to give youth the understanding of their design and destiny.
5 For the wise, these proverbs will make you even wiser,
and for those with discernment,
you will be able to acquire brilliant strategies for leadership.
6 These kingdom revelations will break open your understanding
to unveil the deeper meaning of parables,
poetic riddles, and epigrams,
and to unravel the words and enigmas of the wise.
7 How then does a man gain the essence of wisdom?
We cross the threshold of true knowledge
when we live in obedient devotion to God.
Stubborn know-it-alls will never stop to do this,
for they scorn true wisdom and knowledge.
The Wisdom of a Father
8 Pay close attention, my child, to your father’s wise words
and never forget your mother’s instructions.
9 For their insight will bring you success,
adorning you with grace-filled thoughts
and giving you reins to guide your decisions.
10 When peer pressure compels you to go with the crowd
and sinners invite you to join in,
you must simply say, “No!”
11 When the gang says—
“We’re going to steal and kill and get away with it.
12 We’ll take down the rich and rob them.
We’ll swallow them up alive
and take what we want from whomever we want.
13 Then we’ll take their treasures and fill our homes with loot.
14 So come on and join us.
Take your chance with us.
We’ll divide up all we get;
we’ll each end up with big bags of cash!”—
15 my son, refuse to go with them and stay far away from them.
16 For crime is their way of life and bloodshed their specialty.
17 To be aware of their snare is the best way of escape.
18 They’ll resort to murder to steal their victim’s assets,
but eventually it will be their own lives that are ambushed.
19 In their ungodly disrespect for God
they bring destruction on their own lives.
and never forget your mother’s instructions.
9 For their insight will bring you success,
adorning you with grace-filled thoughts
and giving you reins to guide your decisions.
10 When peer pressure compels you to go with the crowd
and sinners invite you to join in,
you must simply say, “No!”
11 When the gang says—
“We’re going to steal and kill and get away with it.
12 We’ll take down the rich and rob them.
We’ll swallow them up alive
and take what we want from whomever we want.
13 Then we’ll take their treasures and fill our homes with loot.
14 So come on and join us.
Take your chance with us.
We’ll divide up all we get;
we’ll each end up with big bags of cash!”—
15 my son, refuse to go with them and stay far away from them.
16 For crime is their way of life and bloodshed their specialty.
17 To be aware of their snare is the best way of escape.
18 They’ll resort to murder to steal their victim’s assets,
but eventually it will be their own lives that are ambushed.
19 In their ungodly disrespect for God
they bring destruction on their own lives.
Wisdom’s Warning
20 Wisdom’s praises are sung in the streets
and celebrated far and wide.
21 Yet wisdom’s song is not always heard in the halls of higher learning.
But in the hustle and bustle of everyday life
its lyrics can always be heard above the din of the crowd.
You will hear wisdom’s warning as she preaches courageously
to those who stop to listen:
22 “Foolish ones, how much longer will you cling to your deception?
How much longer will you mock wisdom,
cynical scorners who fight the facts?
23 Come back to your senses and be restored to reality.
Don’t even think about refusing my rebuke!
Don’t you know that I’m ready
to pour out my spirit of wisdom upon you
and bring to you the revelation of my words
that will make your heart wise?
24 I’ve called to you over and over;
still you refuse to come to me.
I’ve pleaded with you again and again,
yet you’ve turned a deaf ear to my voice.
25 Because you have laughed at my counsel
and have insisted on continuing in your stubbornness,
26 I will laugh when your calamity comes
and will turn away from you at the time of your disaster.
Make a joke of my advice, will you?
Then I’ll make a joke out of you!
27 When the storm clouds of terror gather over your head,
when dread and distress consume you
and your catastrophe comes like a hurricane,
28 you will cry out to me, but I won’t answer.
Then it will be too late to expect my help.
When desperation drives you to search for me,
I will be nowhere to be found.
29 Because you have turned up your nose at me
and closed your eyes to the facts
and refused to worship me in awe—
30 because you scoffed at my wise counsel
and laughed at my correction—
31 now you will eat the bitter fruit of your own ways.
You’ve made your own bed; now lie in it!
So how do you like that?
32 Like an idiot you’ve turned away from me
and chosen destruction instead.
Your self-satisfied smugness will kill you.
33 But the one who always listens to me
will live undisturbed in a heavenly peace.
Free from fear, confident and courageous,
you will rest unafraid and sheltered from the storms of life.
and celebrated far and wide.
21 Yet wisdom’s song is not always heard in the halls of higher learning.
But in the hustle and bustle of everyday life
its lyrics can always be heard above the din of the crowd.
You will hear wisdom’s warning as she preaches courageously
to those who stop to listen:
22 “Foolish ones, how much longer will you cling to your deception?
How much longer will you mock wisdom,
cynical scorners who fight the facts?
23 Come back to your senses and be restored to reality.
Don’t even think about refusing my rebuke!
Don’t you know that I’m ready
to pour out my spirit of wisdom upon you
and bring to you the revelation of my words
that will make your heart wise?
24 I’ve called to you over and over;
still you refuse to come to me.
I’ve pleaded with you again and again,
yet you’ve turned a deaf ear to my voice.
25 Because you have laughed at my counsel
and have insisted on continuing in your stubbornness,
26 I will laugh when your calamity comes
and will turn away from you at the time of your disaster.
Make a joke of my advice, will you?
Then I’ll make a joke out of you!
27 When the storm clouds of terror gather over your head,
when dread and distress consume you
and your catastrophe comes like a hurricane,
28 you will cry out to me, but I won’t answer.
Then it will be too late to expect my help.
When desperation drives you to search for me,
I will be nowhere to be found.
29 Because you have turned up your nose at me
and closed your eyes to the facts
and refused to worship me in awe—
30 because you scoffed at my wise counsel
and laughed at my correction—
31 now you will eat the bitter fruit of your own ways.
You’ve made your own bed; now lie in it!
So how do you like that?
32 Like an idiot you’ve turned away from me
and chosen destruction instead.
Your self-satisfied smugness will kill you.
33 But the one who always listens to me
will live undisturbed in a heavenly peace.
Free from fear, confident and courageous,
you will rest unafraid and sheltered from the storms of life.
Shalom in Him!
