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The Holy Bible - God's Word for All Generations

Proverbs Chapter 9

King James Version (KJV)

Other Translations

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Wisdom hath built her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars;
2 she hath slaughtered her cattle, she hath mingled her wine, she hath also prepared her table;
3 she hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the summits of the high places of the city,
4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither. To him that is void of understanding, she saith,
5 Come, eat ye of my bread, and drink of the wine that I have mingled.
6 Forsake follies and live, and go in the way of intelligence.
7 He that instructeth a scorner getteth to himself shame; and he that reproveth a wicked [man] [getteth] to himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee; reprove a wise [man], and he will love thee.
9 Impart to a wise [man], and he will become yet wiser; teach a righteous [man], and he will increase learning.
10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is intelligence.
11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and years of life shall be added to thee.
12 If thou art wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself; and if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.
13 The foolish woman is clamorous; she is stupid, and knoweth nothing.
14 And she sitteth at the entry of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
15 to call passers-by who go right on their ways:
16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither. And to him that is void of understanding she saith,
17 Stolen waters are sweet, and the bread of secrecy is pleasant.
18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; [that] her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars.
2 She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine in a bowl, and prepared her table.
3 She has sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying,
4 Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me: and to them that want understanding she says,
5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you.
6 Leave folly, that ye may reign for ever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge.
7 He that reproves evil [men] shall get dishonour to himself; and he that rebukes an ungodly [man] shall disgrace himself.
8 Rebuke not evil [men], lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise [man], and he will love thee.
9 Give an opportunity to a wise [man], and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more [instruction].
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of saints is understanding:
11 For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.
12 Son, if thou be wise for thyself, thou shalt also be wise for thy neighbours; and if thou shouldest prove wicked, thou alone wilt bear the evil.
13 A foolish and bold woman, who knows not modesty, comes to want a morsel.
14 She sits at the doors of her house, on a seat openly in the streets,
15 calling to passers by, and to those that are going right on their ways;
16 [saying], Whoso is most senseless of you, let him turn aside to me; and I exhort those that want prudence, saying,
17 Take and enjoy secret bread, and the sweet water of theft.
18 But he knows that mighty men die by her, and he falls in with a snare of hell.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Sapientia ædificavit sibi domum, excidit columnas septem.
2 Immolavit victimas suas, miscuit vinum, et proposuit mensam suam.
3 Misit ancillas suas ut vocarent ad arcem, et ad mœnia civitatis:
4 Siquis est parvulus, veniat ad me. Et insipientibus locuta est:
5 Venite, comedite panem meum, et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis.
6 Relinquite infantiam, et vivite, et ambulate per vias prudentiæ.
7 Qui erudit derisorem, ipse iniuriam sibi facit: et qui arguit impium, sibi maculam generat.
8 Noli arguere derisorem, ne oderit te. Argue sapientem, et diliget te.
9 Da sapienti occasionem, et addetur ei sapientia. Doce iustum, et festinabit accipere.
10 Principium sapientiæ timor Domini: et scientia sanctorum, prudentia.
11 Per me enim multiplicabuntur dies tui, et addentur tibi anni vitæ.
12 Si sapiens fueris, tibimetipsi eris: si autem illusor, solus portabis malum.
13 Mulier stulta et clamosa, plenaque illecebris, et nihil omnino sciens,
14 sedit in foribus domus suæ super sellam in excelso urbis loco,
15 ut vocaret transeuntes per viam, et pergentes itinere suo:
16 Qui est parvulus, declinet ad me. Et vecordi locuta est:
17 Aquæ furtivæ dulciores sunt, et panis absconditus suavior.
18 Et ignoravit quod ibi sint gigantes, et in profundis inferni convivæ eius.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city:
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
5 “Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed!
6 Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding.”
7 One who corrects a mocker invites insult. One who reproves a wicked man invites abuse.
8 Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise person, and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise person, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous person, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied. The years of your life will be increased.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you mock, you alone will bear it.
13 The foolish woman is loud, undisciplined, and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
15 to call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways,
16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.” As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
17 “Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 Wisdom hath builded her house, She hath hewn out her pillars--seven.
2 She hath slaughtered her slaughter, She hath mingled her wine, Yea, she hath arranged her table.
3 She hath sent forth her damsels, She crieth on the tops of the high places of the city:
4 `Who <FI>is<Fi> simple? let him turn aside hither.' Whoso lacketh heart: she hath said to him,
5 `Come, eat of my bread, And drink of the wine I have mingled.
6 Forsake ye, the simple, and live, And be happy in the way of understanding.
7 The instructor of a scorner Is receiving for it--shame, And a reprover of the wicked--his blemish.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee, Give reproof to the wise, and he loveth thee.
9 Give to the wise, and he is wiser still, Make known to the righteous, And he increaseth learning.
10 The commencement of wisdom <FI>is<Fi> the fear of Jehovah, And a knowledge of the Holy Ones <FI>is<Fi> understanding.
11 For by me do thy days multiply, And added to thee are years of life.
12 If thou hast been wise, thou hast been wise for thyself, And thou hast scorned--thyself bearest <FI>it<Fi> .
13 A foolish woman <FI>is<Fi> noisy, Simple, and hath not known what.
14 And she hath sat at the opening of her house, On a throne--the high places of the city,
15 To call to those passing by the way, Who are going straight <FI>on<Fi> their paths.
16 `Who <FI>is<Fi> simple? let him turn aside hither.' And whoso lacketh heart--she said to him,
17 `Stolen waters are sweet, And hidden bread is pleasant.'
18 And he hath not known that Rephaim <FI>are<Fi> there, In deep places of Sheol her invited ones!

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).