Proverbs 3
1 My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart guard my precepts.
My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,
2 For they shall set before you length of days, and years of life, and peace.
For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth abandon you: encircle them around your throat, and inscribe them on the tablets of your heart.
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,
4 And so shall you discover grace and good discipline, in the sight of God and men.
And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
5 Have confidence in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend upon your own prudence.
Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.
6 In all your ways, consider him, and he himself will direct your steps.
In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.
7 Do not seem wise to yourself. Fear God, and withdraw from evil.
Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.
8 Certainly, it shall be health to your navel, and refreshment to your bones.
Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your substance, and give to him from the first of all your fruits,
Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;
10 and then your storehouses will be filled with abundance, and your presses shall overflow with wine.
And filled are thy barns [with] plenty, And [with] new wine thy presses break forth.
11 My son, do not discard the discipline of the Lord, and do not fall away when you are corrected by him.
Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof,
12 For whomever the Lord loves, he corrects, and just as a father does with a son, he wins him over.
For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom and who advances to prudence.
O the happiness of a man [who] hath found wisdom, And of a man [who] bringeth forth understanding.
14 Her acquisition is better than trading in silver, and her fruit is better than the first and purest gold.
For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold — her increase.
15 She is more precious than all riches, and all that can be desired cannot prevail in comparison to her.
Precious she [is] above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her.
16 Length of days is at her right hand, and at her left hand is wealth and glory.
Length of days [is] in her right hand, In her left [are] wealth and honour.
17 Her ways are beautiful ways, and all her paths are peaceful.
Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, And all her paths [are] peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who overtake her, and he who shall take hold of her is blessed.
A tree of life she [is] to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her [is] happy.
19 The Lord founded the earth on wisdom. He secured the heavens with prudence.
Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
20 By his wisdom, the abyss erupted and the clouds increased with dew.
By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.
21 My son, let not these things move away from your eyes. Preserve law as well as counsel.
My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,
22 And so shall there be life in your soul and grace in your voice.
And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then you shall walk confidently in your way, and your feet will not stumble.
Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.
24 When you slumber, you shall not fear. When you rest, your sleep also will be sweet.
If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.
25 Do not fear unexpected terror, nor the power of the impious falling upon you.
Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.
26 For the Lord will be at your side, and he will guard your feet, so that you may not be seized.
For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.
27 Do not prevent him who is able from doing good. When you are able, do good yourself too.
Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand [is] toward God to do [it].
28 Do not say to your friend: “Go away, and then return. Tomorrow I will give to you.” When you are able to do so, give in the present.
Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.
29 Do not undertake evil against your friend, even though he has trust in you.
Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.
30 Do not contend against a man without cause, even though he has done no evil to you.
Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.
31 Do not rival an unjust man, and do not imitate his ways.
Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.
32 For everyone who ridicules is an abomination to the Lord, and his communication is for the simple.
For an abomination to Jehovah [is] the perverted, And with the upright [is] His secret counsel.
33 Destitution in the house of the impious is from the Lord. But the habitations of the just shall be blessed.
The curse of Jehovah [is] in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth.
34 He will ridicule those who ridicule, but he will bestow grace upon the mild.
If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace.
35 The wise will possess glory. The exaltation of the foolish is disgraceful.
Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!
