Proverbs 1:20-33 - The Call Of Lady Wisdom
20
She raises her voice in the markets;
She calls out at the head of the noisy streets [where large crowds gather];
At the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words:
“How long, O naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning?
How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing,
How long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge?
“If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke,
Behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
“Because I called and you refused [to answer],
I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer];
And you treated all my counsel as nothing
And would not accept my reprimand,
I also will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when your dread and panic come,
When your dread and panic come like a storm,
And your disaster comes like a whirlwind,
When anxiety and distress come upon you [as retribution].
“Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer;
They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,
Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord [that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect],
They would not accept my counsel,
And they spurned all my rebuke.
“Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own [wicked] way
And be satiated with [the penalty of] their own devices.
“For the turning away of the
And the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them.
“But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust
And will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.”