< Proverbs 3 >

1 My son, forget not my teaching; but let thy heart keep my commandments;
My son, do not forget what I have taught you. Keep my commands in your inner being,
2 For length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to thee.
because [if you obey them] you will live a long time and things will go well for you
3 Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart;
Always faithfully love others and (be faithful/do what you say that you will do); doing those things [will cause others to be pleased with you]; it will be as though you are wearing a beautiful necklace. Keep those things in your mind/inner being.
4 So shalt thou find grace and good favour in the sight of God and man.
If you do, God and people will approve of you and think highly of you [MTY].
5 Trust in the LORD with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding.
Trust in Yahweh completely, and do not rely on what you yourself understand.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.
Always allow him to lead you. If you do that, he will (show you the right path/direct your life).
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil;
Do not be proud of being wise. [Instead], revere Yahweh and turn away from doing evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
If you do that, your body will be healthy/strong; it will be [like] medicine for you.
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
Honor Yahweh by [what you do with] your money; and [by giving him] the first part of your harvest.
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
If you do that, [you will have a good harvest]. Yahweh will fill your barns [with grain], and your vats/containers will be overflowing with [grape juice for making] wine.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither spurn thou His correction;
My son, when Yahweh disciplines/corrects you, do not despise it, and if he rebukes you, do not resent it.
12 For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
[I say that] because it is the people whom Yahweh loves that he corrects/reproves, [just] like parents correct/reprove their sons whom they love.
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that obtaineth understanding.
[Yahweh] is pleased with those who become wise and have good understanding.
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Being wise and having good understanding is worth more than silver, better than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Being wise is more precious than (jewels/precious stones); there is nothing that you could desire [that would be as valuable] as wisdom.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour.
On the one hand, wisdom [PRS] enables [you] to live a long life, and on the other hand, wisdom enables [you] to become rich and to be honored.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
If [you] are wise, [your] life will be pleasant, and things will go well [for you].
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that holdest her fast.
Wisdom is [like] a tree that gives long life to those who [eagerly] take hold of it, and [Yahweh] is pleased with those who hold onto it tightly.
19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.
By his wisdom Yahweh created the earth, and by his understanding he put everything in the skies.
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.
By his knowledge [he caused] the water that was beneath the earth to burst forth, and he caused rain to fall from the clouds.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion;
My son, [always] keep doing things that are right and things that are smart. If you do that,
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
you will live [many years] and be honored and respected {people will honor and respect you}.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thou shalt not dash thy foot.
If you do what is right and wise, you will [be able to] walk safely, and you will not (stumble/do things that are wrong) [MET].
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
You will [be able to] lie down [at night] and not be afraid [of anything], and you will sleep peacefully.
25 Be not afraid of sudden terror, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh;
You will not be afraid that something disastrous will happen to you or that storms that strike the wicked will strike you,
26 For the LORD will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being caught.
because you will be confident that Yahweh [will take care of you]. He will not let your foot be caught in a trap/snare.
27 Withhold not good from him to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.
If you are able to help people who deserve it, do not refuse to help them.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour: 'Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give'; when thou hast it by thee.
If you are able to help someone you interact with, do not say, “Come back later; [perhaps] I can help you tomorrow.”
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Do not make plans to harm those you interact with regularly, [because] they live near you, and they trust you.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
If someone has not harmed you, do not accuse him [by saying that he has harmed you].
31 Envy thou not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways.
Do not envy people who [obtain things by] violent actions, and do not imitate/do what they do.
32 For the perverse is an abomination to the LORD; but His counsel is with the upright.
[I say that] because Yahweh considers such people to be abominable/detestable; but he is a friend to [all] those who do what is right.
33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked; but He blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
Yahweh curses the families [MTY] of those who are wicked, but he blesses the families of those who are good/righteous.
34 If it concerneth the scorners, He scorneth them, but unto the humble He giveth grace.
Yahweh makes fun of those who make fun [of others], but he kindly helps those who are humble.
35 The wise shall inherit honour; but as for the fools, they carry away shame.
Wise [people] will be honored {people will honor wise people}, but foolish people will be dishonored/disgraced.

< Proverbs 3 >