Much of Proverbs is read by a reader at services during Great Lent
The book of Proverbs is a collection of moral and religious instruction to the youth of Israel.
It can be divided into four main parts and five appendices:
- 1) (Ch. 1-9:18) Ten discourses of admonition and warning, two poems personifying Wisdom (1:20-33; 8:1-36), Wisdom vs. Folly (9:1-6, 13-18), and various shorter admonitions and poems;
- 2) (Ch. 10-22:16) 1st Collection of Sayings of Solomon;
- 3) (Ch. 22:17-24:22) The Sayings of the Wise,
- with the 1st Appendix added (Ch. 24:23-34), also entitled Sayings of the Wise;
- 4) (Ch. 25-29) 2nd Collection of Sayings of Solomon;
- 2nd Appendix (Ch. 30:1-14), entitled The Words of Agur;
- 3rd Appendix (Ch. 30:15-33) a collection of numerical proverbs;
- Appendix 4 (Ch. 31:1-9), entitled The Words of Lemuel, King of Massa;
- Appendix 5 (Ch. 31:10-31) praise of the ideal wife.
