Proverbs and Family

 I was compelled to write proverbs for various reasons. I heard a preacher say something about how we cope with business and family as usual. I took it upon myself to read and write what I had practiced here. To this day proverbs helps me when I need to straighten up and be the sober person I know I can be.

Proverbs – From The Holy Bible

The Purpose of Proverbs

1.      These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

2.      Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.

3.      Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

4.      These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.

5.      Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance

6.      By exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.

7.      Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools depise wisdom and discipline.

A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom

8.      My child listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

9.      What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.

10.  My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!

11.  They may say, “Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun let’s ambush the innocent!

12.  Let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death.

13.  Think of great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take.

14.  Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.”

15.  My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths.

16.  They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder.

17.  If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away.

18.  But these set an ambush for themselves, they are trying to get themselves killed.

19.  Such is the fate of all who are greedy fro money, it robs them of life.

Wisdom Shouts in the Streets

20.  Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in public square.

21.  She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:

22.  “How long you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge?

23.  Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.

24.  “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you but you paid no attention.

25.  You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered.

26.  So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you-

27.  When calamity overtakes you like a storn, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you.

28.  “When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.

29.  For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord.

30.  They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them.

31.  Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their won way, choking on their own schemes

32.  For simpletons turn away from me – to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.

33.  But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

 

The Benefits of Wisdom

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1.      My child listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.

2.      Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.

3.      Cry out for insight and ask for understanding.

4.      Search for them as you would search for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.

5.      Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain the knowledge of God.

6.      For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

7.      He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

8.      He guards the path of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.

9.      Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.

10.  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.

11.  Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.

12.  These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths.

13.  They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.

14.  Their actions are crooked and their ways are wrong.

15.  Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of a promiscuous woman.

16.  She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God.

17.  Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave.

18.  The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life.

19.  Follow the steps of good men instead, and stay on the paths of righteousness.

20.  For only the godly will live in the land.

21.  But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted.

Trusting In The Lord

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1.      My child never forget the things I have taught you, store my commandments in your heart.

2.      If you do this you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.

3.      Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

4.      Then you will find favor with both God and people.

5.      Trust in the lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding.

6.      Seek his will in all you do. And he will show you which path to take.

7.      Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

8.      Then you nwill have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

9.      Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.

10.  Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

11.  My child don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.

12.  For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

13.  Joyful is a person who finds wisdom, the one who gains from understanding.

14.  For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.

15.  Wisdom is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare you with her.

16.  She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left.

17.  She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying.

18.  Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

19.  By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens.

20.  By his knowledge the deep foundations of the eart burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.

21.  My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang onto them.

22.  For they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

23.  They keep you safe on your own way, and your feet will not stumble.

24.  You can go to bed without fea; you will lie down and sleep soundly.

25.  You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked.

26.  For the Lord is security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

27.  Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is In your power to help them.

28.  If you can help your neightbor now, don’t say come back tomorrow and then I will help you.”

29.  Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you.

30.  Don’t pick a fight without reason, when no one had done harm to you.

31.  Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.

32.  Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.

33.  The Lord curses the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright.

34.  The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble.

35.  The wise inherit honor but fools are put to shame!

 

A Father’s Wise Advice

4 1. My children listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment.

2. For I am giving you good judgment, for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions.

For I too was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.

My father taught me, take my words to heart. Follow my commands and you will live.

5. Get wisdom and develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.

6. Don’t turn back on your wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her and she will guard you.

7. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you can do, develop good judgment.

8. If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her and she will honor you.

9. She will place a lovely wreath on nyour head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.

My nchild listen to me and do what I say, and you will live a long good life.

11. I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you instraight paths.

12. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble.

13. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard nthem too for they are the key to life.

14. Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers.

15. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.

For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They cannot resist until they’ve caused someone to stumble.

16. They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

18. The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

19. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

20.My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words.

21. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart.

22. for they bring life to thise who find them, and healing to their whole body.

23. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

24. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.

25. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

26. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.

27. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

 

Avoid Immoral Women

5. 1. My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel.

2. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you have learned.

3. For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.

4. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double edged sword.

5. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

6. For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

7. So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say.

8. Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house!

9. If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.

10. Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.

11. In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body.

12. You will say “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!

13. Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?

14. I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.

15. Drink water from your own well, share love only with your wife.

16. Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone?”

17. You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers.

18. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoive in the wife of your youth.

19. She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.

20. Why be captivated my son, by a immoral woman. Or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?

21. For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evilman is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch him and hold him.

22. He will die for a lack of self control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

 

6. Lessons for a daily life

1. My child if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger

2. if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said

3. follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy

4. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.

Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do.

5. Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.

6. Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy bones. Learn from their ways and become wise!

7. Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work

8. they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter

9. But you lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?

10. A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest.

11. then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

12. What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars,

13. signaling their deceit with a wink of an eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.

Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble.

15. But they will suddenly be destroyed broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

16. There are six things the lord hates, no seven things he detests

17. haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent

18. a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong.

19. a false witness who pours out lie, a person who sows discord in family.

20. My son, obey your father’s commands and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

21, Keep the words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck.

22.  When you walk their counsel will lead you. When you sleep they will protect you. When you wake up they will advise you.

23.  For their command is a lamp and their instruction is a light; their corrective discipline is a way to life.

24.  It will keep you from the immoral women, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous women.

25.  Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.

26.  For a prostitute will bring you to poverty.

27.  Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch fire?

28.  Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?

29.  So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. HE WHO EMBRACES HER WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED.

30.  Excuses might be found for a theif who steals because he is starving.

31.  But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he had stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house.

32.  But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself.

33.  He will be wounded and disgraced. His shame will never be erased.

34.  For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

35.  He will accept no compensation, nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

Another Warning about Immoral Women

7 1. Follow my advice my son; always treasure my commands.

 

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1.      Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.

2.      When the godly are in authority people rejoice, but when the wicked are in power they groan.

3.      The man who loves wisdom brigns joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes his wealth is wasted.

4.      A just king gives stability to his nation, but the one who demnds bribes destroys it.

5.      To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet.

6.      Evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape shouting for joy.

7.      The godly care about the rights to the poor; the wicked don’t care at all.

8.      Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but the wise will calm the anger.

9.      If a wise person takes a fool to court, there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfactrion.

10.  The blood thirsty hate blameless people, but the upright seek to help them.

11.  Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.

12.  If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisers will be wicked.

13.  The poor and the oppressor have this in common, the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

14.  If a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever.

15.  To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.

16.  When the wickced are in authority, sin flourishes, but the godly will live to see their downfall.

17.  Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind. And wil make your heart glad.

18.  When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

19.  Wordsalone will not discipline a servant; the words may be understood, but they are not heeded.

20.  There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.

21.  A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel.

22.  An angry person starts fight; a hot tempered person commits all kinds of sin.

23.  Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.

24.  If you assist a their, you only hurt yourself. You are sworn to tell the truth, but you dare not testify.

25.  Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.

26.  Many seek the ruler’s favor, but justice comes from the Lord.

27.  The righteous despise the unjust; the wicked despise the godly.