Rhyming Revelations: Chapter 3.19-20
Those whom I love, I discipline, rebuke
as well. Be earnest and repent. I knock,
yes, here I am! I’m standing at your door.
If anyone who’s list’ning hears my voice,
and opens up the door, I, entering,
and, with that person, dine, and they with me.
Rhyming Proverbs: Chapter 9
Her house, has wisdom built it; put in place,
she has, its seven pillars. She prepared
her meat and also mixed her wine; it’s laid,
her table. Servants, she has sent from there,
and she calls from the city’s highest point,
“Let all who’re simple, to my house, come in!”
To those who have no sense, this, she enjoins
“Come, eat my food and drink the wine I’ve mixed.
Leave all your simple ways, you’ll come alive;
now, in the way of insight, you should walk.”
Whoe’er corrects a mocker will invite
such insults; whoe’er, wicked men, rebukes
incurs abuse. Rebuke those mockers, don’t,
or they will hate you; just rebuke the wise
and they will love you. Wiser still they’ll grow,
because of your instruction; you’ll inspire
the righteous, to their learning, they will add.
Of wisdom, its beginning, is the fear,
that of the LORD, of him, such knowledge had,
the Holy One, is understanding, sure.
For through it, wisdom, many are your days,
and to your life will years be added on.
From wisdom, if you’re wise, rewards will gain;
if you’re a mocker, suff’ring, you alone.
Unruly woman, folly, designates;
she is both simple and is ignorant.
That of her house, its door, where she will sit,
upon a seat, the city’s highest point,
to those who pass by, calling out is she,
“Let simple ones come to my house for treats!”
To those who have no sense she says, “It’s sweet,
is stolen water; that, the food we eat
in secret is delicious!” Do they know,
but little, that, the place the dead will go,
her guests, deep in the deads’ realm that’s below.
Rhyming Proverbs: Chapter 2
My son, if you accept my words and store
up my commands within you, turning your
ear unto wisdom, and your heart apply
to understanding–if for it, you’d cry,
call out for insight, and would cry aloud
for understanding, as, for silver, would
you look for it, as something you would find
for hidden treasure, then you’ll understand,
fear of the LORD, of God, some knowledge, found.
For he, the LORD, gives wisdom; from his mouth
come knowledge, understanding. He will hold
success in store for blameless ones, upright,
a shield to those who walk in blamelessness
for he guards that, the course the just would find,
his faithful ones, the way of those, protects.
Then you will understand what is both right
and just and fair–each path that’s good. It, deep,
will wisdom enter there within your heart,
and knowledge, pleasant, to your soul, will seem.
Discretion will protect, and it will guard,
your understanding. Wicked men, their ways,
from them will wisdom save you, those whose words,
perverse, those men who’ve left the paths are straight,
to walk in dark ways, who, in this, delight,
in doing wrong, and in this, they’ll rejoice:
perverseness, evil’s, their paths, they will find,
are crooked, devious, their ways employed.
Will wisdom from the ‘dult’rous woman, save,
the wayward woman, that is their intent:
seductive words, who, up, her partner, gave,
he from her youth, ignored the covenant
before God, what she made. Leads down to death,
is surely where her house leads, and her ways
unto the spirits of the dead. None who’ve been wed
to her, return, the paths of life, attain.
Thus you will walk, those ways the good will drive,
and keep the paths the righteous will maintain.
For they, the upright, in the land, will live,
the blameless, there, the place where they’ll remain;
but they, the wicked, from the land, they’re cleaved,
unfaithful ones will be torn from it, clean.
Rhyming Proverbs: Chapter 1
Of Solomon, the proverbs, David’s son,
he’s Israel’s king, with them is wisdom won,
to gain instruction, and of insight, words,
for understanding; its receipt, that for,
instruction in behavior, prudency,
for doing right and justice, equity;
for giving prudence to those simple ones,
both knowledge and discretion to the young–
Let them, the wise, hear close, and let them add
onto their learning, those discerning ones,
let them get guidance–so they’d understand
both proverbs, parables, those of the wise,
their riddles, sayings. Where true knowledge starts:
fear of the LORD, but then, what fools despise,
both wisdom and instruction, disregard.
Now listen, son, unto your father’s words,
to his instruction, and do not forsake
your mother’s teaching. They, to grace your head,
just like a garland, neck’s adorning chains.
My son, if sinful men, they’d you, entice,
do not give in to them. If they’d cajole:
“Along with us, now come; in wait, we’ll lie
for blood that’s innocent, some harmless soul,
let’s ambush them; let’s swallow them alive,
just like the grave, and like those, whole,
who go down to the pit; the val’uable things
that we will get, with loot, our houses, stored;
cast lots with us; we’ll share the plundering”–
my son, do not, along with them, then go,
your foot not with their vile meanderings,
for into evil, where their feet have sped,
and blood is what it is they’re swift to shed.
How useless that it is to spread a net
where every bird can see it! Their own blood,
ambushing selves, these men will lie in wait!
Such are the paths of all of those who would
(it robs their life) pursue ill-gotten gain;
from those who, it is what they would obtain.
Out in the open wisdom calls out loud,
her voice, she raises, in the public square;
upon the wall, it’s top, where she cries out,
the city gate, she makes her speech, it’s there:
“How long, the gullible, will love their ways,
those ways are simple? How long they delight,
will mockers gladden in their mockery
and fools, all knowledge, that is what they hate?
Repent at my rebuke! Then, pleasantly,
my thoughts, I’ll pour out to you, knowledge, make
of all my teachings. But since you refuse
to listen when I call and no one pays
attention to my gifts that I renew,
since you, all my advice, you disregard
and my rebuke, with that, your enmity,
when it strikes you, my laughter will be hard,
disaster; I’ll mock you, calamity,
when it o’ertakes you like a raging storm,
when, like a whirlwind, it will sweep you o’er,
disaster, when distress and trouble, you,
by both of them, completely are subsumed.
“Then they’ll call to me, I will not respond,
they’ll look for me, but, me, they will not find
since knowledge, what they hated, and did not,
the LORD, choose, him, to fear. Since they denied,
rejected all of my advice, rebuke,
they spurned, they’ll eat of all the fruit expressed,
their ways, and all that fruit, they will consume,
of those, their schemes. The simple’s waywardness,
for that’s what kills them, their complacency,
the fools’, is that, what will destroy them sure;
but whosoe’er will hear my words I speak
will live in safety, and will be at ease,
forever lacking, that, of harm, its fear.”
Rhyming Proverbs: Chapter 1.1-7
Of Solomon, the proverbs, David’s son,
he’s Israel’s king, with them is wisdom won,
to gain instruction, and of insight, words,
for understanding; its receipt, that for,
instruction in behavior, prudency,
for doing right and justice, equity;
for giving prudence to those simple ones,
both knowledge and discretion to the young–
Let them, the wise, hear close, and let them add
onto their learning, those discerning ones,
let them get guidance–so they’d understand
both proverbs, parables, those of the wise,
their riddles, sayings. Where true knowledge starts:
fear of the LORD, but then, what fools despise,
both wisdom and instruction, disregard.
T.H. Chalm 