Proverbs 3
1 My son! Do not forget my law, And let your heart keep my commands,
My son, forget not my teaching; but let thy heart keep my commandments;
2 For [the] length of [your] days and years, Life and peace they add to you.
For length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to thee.
3 Do not let kindness and truth forsake you, Bind them on your neck, Write them on the tablet 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 find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
So shalt thou find grace and good favour in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust to YHWH with all your heart, And do not lean to your own understanding.
Trust in the LORD with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding.
6 In all your ways know Him, And He makes your paths straight.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes, Fear YHWH, and turn aside from evil.
Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil;
8 It is healing to your navel, And moistening to your bones.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honor YHWH from your substance, And from the beginning of all your increase;
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
10 And your barns are filled [with] plenty, And your presses break forth [with] new wine.
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
11 Discipline of YHWH, my son, do not despise, And do not be distressed with His reproof,
My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither spurn thou His correction;
12 For whom YHWH loves He reproves, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 O the blessedness of a man [who] has found wisdom, And of a man [who] brings forth understanding.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that obtaineth understanding.
14 For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold—her increase.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15 She [is] precious above rubies, And all your pleasures are not comparable 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] in her right hand, In her left [are] wealth and honor.
Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches 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 those laying hold on her, And whoever is retaining 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 YHWH founded the earth by wisdom, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.
20 By His knowledge depths have been broken, And clouds drop dew.
By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.
21 My son! Do not let them turn from your eyes, Keep wisdom and thoughtfulness,
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 And they are life to your soul, and grace to your neck.
So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then you go your way confidently, And your foot does not stumble.
Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thou shalt not dash thy foot.
24 If you lie down, you are not afraid, Indeed, you have lain down, And your sleep has been sweet.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it comes.
Be not afraid of sudden terror, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh;
26 For YHWH is at your side, And He has kept your foot from capture.
For the LORD will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from its owners, When your hand [is] toward God to do [it].
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, and return, and tomorrow I give,” When substance [is] with you.
Say not unto thy neighbour: 'Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give'; when thou hast it by thee.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, And he sitting confidently with you.
Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has not done you evil.
Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31 Do not be envious of a man of violence, Nor fix on any of his ways.
Envy thou not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the perverted [is] an abomination to YHWH, And His secret counsel [is] with the upright.
For the perverse is an abomination to the LORD; but His counsel is with the upright.
33 The curse of YHWH [is] in the house of the wicked. And He blesses the habitation of the righteous.
The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked; but He blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
34 If He scorns the scorners, Yet He gives grace to the humble.
If it concerneth the scorners, He scorneth them, but unto the humble He giveth grace.
35 The wise inherit glory, And fools are bearing away shame!
The wise shall inherit honour; but as for the fools, they carry away shame.
