Proverbs 3
1 [My] son, forget not my laws; but let your heart keep my words:
My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,
2 for length of existence, and years of 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; but bind them about your neck:
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 do you provide things honest in the sight of the Lord, and of men.
And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
5 Trust in God with all your heart; and be not exalted in your own wisdom.
Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.
6 In all your ways acquaint yourself with her, that she may rightly direct your paths.
In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.
7 Be not wise in your own conceit; but fear God, and depart from all evil.
Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.
8 Then shall there be health to your body, and good keeping to your bones.
Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your just labors, and give him the first of your fruits of righteousness:
Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;
10 that your storehouses may be completely filled with corn, and that your presses may burst forth with 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; nor faint when you are rebuked of him:
Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof,
12 for whom the Lord loves, he rebukes, and scourges every son whom he receives.
For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
13 Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, and the mortal who knows prudence.
O the happiness of a man [who] hath found wisdom, And of a man [who] bringeth forth understanding.
14 For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver.
For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold — her increase.
15 And she is more valuable than precious stones: no evil thing shall resist her: she is well known to all that approach her, and no precious thing is equal to her in value.
Precious she [is] above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her.
16 For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth proceeds righteousness, and she carries law and mercy upon her tongue.
Length of days [is] in her right hand, In her left [are] wealth and honour.
17 Her ways are good 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 all that lay hold upon her; and she is [a] secure [help] to all that stay themselves on her, as on the Lord.
A tree of life she [is] to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her [is] happy.
19 God by wisdom founded the earth, and by prudence he prepared the heavens.
Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
20 By understanding were the depths broken up, and the clouds dropped water.
By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.
21 [My] son, let [them] not pass from [you], but keep my counsel and understanding:
My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,
22 that your soul may live, and that there may be grace round your neck; and it shall be health to your flesh, and safety to your bones:
And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 that you may go confidently in peace in all your ways, and that your foot may not stumble.
Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.
24 For if you rest, you shall be undismayed; and if you sleep, you shall slumber sweetly.
If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.
25 And you shall not be afraid of alarm coming upon you, neither of approaching attacks of ungodly men.
Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.
26 For the Lord shall be over all your ways, and shall establish your foot that you be not moved.
For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.
27 Forbear not to do good to the poor, whenever your hand may have [power] to help [him].
Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand [is] toward God to do [it].
28 Say not, Come back another time, to-morrow I will give; while you are able to do [him] good: for you know not what the next day will bring forth.
Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.
29 Devise not evil against your friend, living near you and trusting in you.
Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.
30 Be not ready to quarrel with a man without a cause, lest he do you some harm.
Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.
31 Procure not the reproaches of bad men, neither do you covet their ways.
Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.
32 For every transgressor is unclean before the Lord; neither does he sit among the righteous.
For an abomination to Jehovah [is] the perverted, And with the upright [is] His secret counsel.
33 The curse of God is in the houses of the ungodly; but the habitations of the just are blessed.
The curse of Jehovah [is] in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth.
34 The Lord resists the proud; but he gives grace to the humble.
If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace.
35 The wise shall inherit glory; but the ungodly have exalted [their own] dishonor.
Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!
