Proverbs

Chapters 1-9 are made up of ten encouraging sections, each beginning with the words 'My son'. In them Solomon is speaking as a father would to his children, advising them how they should live their lives.
In one place Solomon asks them to value wisdom above wealth:

Proverbs 8:10-11
"Receive my instruction and not silver;
and knowledge rather than choice gold.
for wisdom is better than than rubies;
and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it"

Solomon says that fear of god is the beginning of knowledge. He also advises us to listen to instruction from our elders.

Proverbs 1:7-9
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
My son, hear the instruction of thy father,
and forsake not the law of thy mother:
for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head,
and chains about thy neck"

Proverbs 13:24
"He that spareth his rod hateth his son:
but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."

This proverb has come down to us as the phrase "spare the rod and spoil the child"

Proverbs 15:32
"He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul:
but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding."

This verse teaches us to lay aside our pride and to accept constructive criticism from others

Self control and being slow to anger are what the proverb praises.

Proverbs 16:32
"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;
and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city"

This proverb tells us not to be selfish and to do what we can to help those in need.

Proverbs 21:13
"Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor,
he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard"

Proverbs 21:23
"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue
keepeth his soul from troubles."

This verse warns us against rash words. As my mother used to say, "Keep your mouth shut and you'll catch no flies!"

Proverbs 22:6
"Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

The proverb is echoed in the saying "Give me the child for his first seven years, and I'll give you the man"

Nobody knows for certain who Agur was. Some say that Agur was an alias for King Solomon and others that the word means 'compiler'. Whoever he was, he made use of numbers within his proverbs. Here are a couple of examples:

Proverbs 30:7,15
"Two things have I required of thee;
deny me them not before I die:
The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give.
There are three things that are never satisfied,
yea, four things say not, It is enough"

The chapter opens with "The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him". We do not know who King Lemuel was as he is mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. Some say that he was an Assyrian king, whilst others think that Lemuel is another alias of King Solomon and that this chapter was written by his mother, Bathsheba. Whoever the author and whoever the king, the chapter advises him to use his powers to help the poor and the needy.

Proverbs 31:8-9
"Open thy mouth for the dumb
in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Open thy mouth, judge righteously,
and plead the cause of the poor and needy"