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Proverbs 9 (Mishlei) in Hebrew and English

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Tenakh Study · Read Proverbs in Hebrew and English, one chapter per page. Our Tenakh study meets every Wednesday at 7 pm (Central Time) on Zoom. Text us for the Zoom link.

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Tenakh Study · Proverbs 9:1–18

Proverbs, Chapter 9

משלי ט

Wisdom builds her house, prepares her table and calls the simple to eat of her bread and live; the scorner and the wise are compared, and the foolish woman also calls the simple, but her guests are in the depths of hell.

Wisdom’s house and table

9:1Wisdom has builded her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars:

אחָ֭כְמוֹת בָּנְתָ֣ה בֵיתָ֑הּ חָצְבָ֖ה עַמּוּדֶ֣יהָ שִׁבְעָֽה׃

9:2She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine; she has also furnished her table.

בטָבְחָ֣ה טִ֭בְחָהּ מָסְכָ֣ה יֵינָ֑הּ אַ֝֗ף עָֽרְכָ֥ה שֻׁלְחָנָֽהּ׃

9:3She has sent forth her maidens: she cries upon the highest places of the city,

גשָֽׁלְחָ֣ה נַעֲרֹתֶ֣יהָ תִקְרָ֑א עַל־גַּ֝פֵּ֗י מְרֹ֣מֵי קָֽרֶת׃

9:4“Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:” as for him that wants understanding, she says to him,

דמִי־פֶ֭תִי יָסֻ֣ר הֵ֑נָּה חֲסַר־לֵ֝֗ב אָ֣מְרָה לּֽוֹ׃

9:5“Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

הלְ֭כוּ לַחֲמ֣וּ בְֽלַחֲמִ֑י וּ֝שְׁת֗וּ בְּיַ֣יִן מָסָֽכְתִּי׃

9:6Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.”

ועִזְב֣וּ פְתָאיִ֣ם וִֽחְי֑וּ וְ֝אִשְׁר֗וּ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ בִּינָֽה׃

The scorner and the wise

9:7He that reproves a scorner gets to himself shame: and he that rebukes a wicked man gets himself a blot.

זיֹ֤סֵ֨ר ׀ לֵ֗ץ לֹקֵ֣חַֽ ל֣וֹ קָל֑וֹן וּמוֹכִ֖יחַ לְרָשָׁ֣ע מוּמֽוֹ׃

9:8Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you: rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

חאַל־תּ֣וֹכַח לֵ֭ץ פֶּן־יִשְׂנָאֶ֑ךָּ הוֹכַ֥ח לְ֝חָכָ֗ם וְיֶאֱהָבֶֽךָּ׃

9:9Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

טתֵּ֣ן לְ֭חָכָם וְיֶחְכַּם־ע֑וֹד הוֹדַ֥ע לְ֝צַדִּ֗יק וְי֣וֹסֶף לֶֽקַח׃

9:10The fear of Hashem is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

יתְּחִלַּ֣ת חָ֭כְמָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת קְדֹשִׁ֣ים בִּינָֽה׃

9:11For by me your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased.

יאכִּי־בִ֭י יִרְבּ֣וּ יָמֶ֑יךָ וְיוֹסִ֥יפוּ לְּ֝ךָ֗ שְׁנ֣וֹת חַיִּֽים׃

9:12If you be wise, you shall be wise for yourself: but if you scorn, you alone shall bear it.

יבאִם־חָ֭כַמְתָּ חָכַ֣מְתָּ לָּ֑ךְ וְ֝לַ֗צְתָּ לְֽבַדְּךָ֥ תִשָּֽׂא׃

The foolish woman

9:13A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knows nothing.

יגאֵ֣שֶׁת כְּ֭סִילוּת הֹֽמִיָּ֑ה פְּ֝תַיּ֗וּת וּבַל־יָ֥דְעָה מָּֽה׃

9:14For she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

ידוְֽ֭יָשְׁבָה לְפֶ֣תַח בֵּיתָ֑הּ עַל־כִּ֝סֵּ֗א מְרֹ֣מֵי קָֽרֶת׃

9:15To call passengers who go right on their ways:

טולִקְרֹ֥א לְעֹֽבְרֵי־דָ֑רֶךְ הַֽ֝מְיַשְּׁרִ֗ים אֹֽרְחוֹתָֽם׃

9:16“Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:” and as for him that wants understanding, she says to him,

טזמִי־פֶ֭תִי יָסֻ֣ר הֵ֑נָּה וַחֲסַר־לֵ֝֗ב וְאָ֣מְרָה לּֽוֹ׃

9:17“Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

יזמַֽיִם־גְּנוּבִ֥ים יִמְתָּ֑קוּ וְלֶ֖חֶם סְתָרִ֣ים יִנְעָֽם׃

9:18But he knows not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.

יחוְֽלֹא־יָ֭דַע כִּֽי־רְפָאִ֣ים שָׁ֑ם בְּעִמְקֵ֖י שְׁא֣וֹל קְרֻאֶֽיהָ׃

Sources & method

Hebrew text
The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
English translation
The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
Verse numbers
Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible; in Proverbs they are the same as in most English Bibles.
Hebrew font
SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.