⁸ Give your mind to my words, you who are without wisdom among the people; you foolish men, when will you be wise?

⁶ A man without sense has no knowledge of this; and a foolish man may not take it in.

¹⁰ For he sees that wise men come to their end, and foolish persons of low behaviour come to destruction together, letting their wealth go to others.

³ For in the past we were foolish, hard in heart, turned from the true way, servants of evil desires and pleasures, living in bad feeling and envy, hated and hating one another.

¹¹ Not one who has the knowledge of what is right, not one who is a searcher after God;

⁸ But they are together like beasts and foolish: the teaching of false gods is wood.

⁶ I took note and gave ear, but no one said what is right: no man had regret for his evil-doing, saying, What have I done? everyone goes off on his way like a horse rushing to the fight.

⁷ Truly, the stork in the heavens is conscious of her fixed times; the dove and the swallow and the crane keep to the times of their coming; but my people have no knowledge of the law of the Lord.

⁸ How is it that you say, We are wise and the law of the Lord is with us? But see, the false pen of the scribes has made it false.

¹¹ When its branches are dry they will be broken off; the women will come and put fire to them: for it is a foolish people; for this cause he who made them will have no mercy on them, and he whose work they are will not have pity on them.

¹ A lover of training is a lover of knowledge; but a hater of teaching is like a beast.

⁵ Become expert in reason, O you simple ones; you foolish ones, take training to heart.

²² How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?

²² As for me, I was foolish, and without knowledge; I was like a beast before you.

²⁹ If only they were wise, if only this was clear to them, and they would give thought to their future!