Proverbs 3
1 My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments:
My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to you.
For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you: bind them about your neck; write them on the table of your heart:
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,
4 So shall you find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding.
Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.
8 It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones.
Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase:
Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;
10 So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine.
And filled are thy barns [with] plenty, And [with] new wine thy presses break forth.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof,
12 For whom the LORD loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights.
For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
13 Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding.
O the happiness of a man [who] hath found wisdom, And of a man [who] bringeth forth understanding.
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold — her increase.
15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things you can desire are not to be compared to her.
Precious she [is] above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor.
Length of days [is] in her right hand, In her left [are] wealth and honour.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, And all her paths [are] peace.
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her: and happy is every one that retains her.
A tree of life she [is] to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her [is] happy.
19 The LORD by wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding has he established the heavens.
Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.
21 My son, let not them depart from your eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,
22 So shall they be life to your soul, and grace to your neck.
And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then shall you walk in your way safely, and your foot shall not stumble.
Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you shall not be afraid: yes, you shall lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet.
If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes.
Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.
26 For the LORD shall be your confidence, and shall keep your foot from being taken.
For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it.
Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand [is] toward God to do [it].
28 Say not to your neighbor, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when you have it by you.
Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.
29 Devise not evil against your neighbor, seeing he dwells securely by you.
Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done you no harm.
Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.
31 Envy you not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.
32 For the fraudulent is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
For an abomination to Jehovah [is] the perverted, And with the upright [is] His secret counsel.
33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesses the habitation of the just.
The curse of Jehovah [is] in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth.
34 Surely he scorns the scorners: but he gives grace to the lowly.
If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace.
35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!
