Proverbs 3
1 My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart guard my precepts.
My son, forget not my teaching; but let thy heart keep my commandments;
2 For they shall set before you length of days, and years of life, and peace.
For length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they 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 about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart;
4 And so shall you discover grace and good discipline, in the sight of God and men.
So shalt thou find grace and good favour in the sight of God and man.
5 Have confidence in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend upon your own prudence.
Trust in the LORD with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding.
6 In all your ways, consider him, and he himself will direct your steps.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.
7 Do not seem wise to yourself. Fear God, and withdraw from evil.
Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil;
8 Certainly, it shall be health to your navel, and refreshment to your bones.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your substance, and give to him from the first of all your fruits,
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
10 and then your storehouses will be filled with abundance, and your presses shall overflow with wine.
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not discard the discipline of the Lord, and do not fall away when you are corrected by him.
My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither spurn thou His correction;
12 For whomever the Lord loves, he corrects, and just as a father does with a son, he wins him over.
For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom and who advances to prudence.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that obtaineth understanding.
14 Her acquisition is better than trading in silver, and her fruit is better than the first and purest gold.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than all riches, and all that can be desired cannot prevail in comparison to her.
She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto 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 hand are riches 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.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that holdest her fast.
19 The Lord founded the earth on wisdom. He secured the heavens with prudence.
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.
20 By his wisdom, the abyss erupted and the clouds increased with dew.
By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.
21 My son, let not these things move away from your eyes. Preserve law as well as counsel.
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 And so shall there be life in your soul and grace in your voice.
So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then you shall walk confidently in your way, and your feet will not stumble.
Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thou shalt not dash thy foot.
24 When you slumber, you shall not fear. When you rest, your sleep also will be sweet.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Do not fear unexpected terror, nor the power of the impious falling upon you.
Be not afraid of sudden terror, neither of the destruction 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 the LORD will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being caught.
27 Do not prevent him who is able from doing good. When you are able, do good yourself too.
Withhold not good from him to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand 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 unto thy neighbour: 'Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give'; when thou hast it by thee.
29 Do not undertake evil against your friend, even though he has trust in you.
Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by 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 done thee no harm.
31 Do not rival an unjust man, and do not imitate his ways.
Envy thou not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways.
32 For everyone who ridicules is an abomination to the Lord, and his communication is for the simple.
For the perverse is an abomination to the LORD; but His counsel is with the upright.
33 Destitution in the house of the impious is from the Lord. But the habitations of the just shall be blessed.
The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked; but He blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
34 He will ridicule those who ridicule, but he will bestow grace upon the mild.
If it concerneth the scorners, He scorneth them, but unto the humble He giveth grace.
35 The wise will possess glory. The exaltation of the foolish is disgraceful.
The wise shall inherit honour; but as for the fools, they carry away shame.
