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Dhammapada · narration sample

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The Bible · 637 of 1189

Proverbs 9

1.Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: 2. She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. 3. She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city, 4. Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, 5. Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. 6. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. 7. He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. 8. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. 9. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. 10. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. 11. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. 12. If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.

13.A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. 14. For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, 15. To call passengers who go right on their ways: 16. Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, 17. Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. 18. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.

Asked of Guide

Why does Wisdom host a feast while the foolish woman lures with stolen bread?

The chapter stages two rival invitations: Wisdom has “builded her house” and “mingled her wine,” offering abundant, orderly life where “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom’s feast promises flourishing—“by me thy days shall be multiplied”—so its call is to learning, longevity, and communal honor.

The foolish woman sits at the city gate offering “stolen waters” and secret bread that seem sweet but conceal death; her hospitality is impulsive pleasure leading to ruin. Proverbs places moral choice before the reader: one banquet brings sustained flourishing, the other immediate gratification that ends in destruction, echoing the practical ethics of practical books like Ecclesiastes and Deuteronomy’s covenant warnings.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.