Proverbs 3
1 My son! Do not forget my law, And let your heart keep my commands,
My son, mine instruction, do not thou forget, and, my commandment, let thy heart observe;
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 blessedness, shall 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,
Lovingkindness and faithfulness, let them not forsake thee, —bind them, upon thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
4 And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
So find thou favour and good repute, in the eyes of God and man.
5 Trust to YHWH with all your heart, And do not lean to your own understanding.
Trust thou in Yahweh, with all thy heart, and, unto thine own understanding, do not lean:
6 In all your ways know Him, And He makes your paths straight.
In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and, he, will make straight thy paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes, Fear YHWH, and turn aside from evil.
Do not become wise in thine own eyes, revere Yahweh, and avoid evil:
8 It is healing to your navel, And moistening to your bones.
Healing, shall it be to thy body, and refreshing, to thy bones.
9 Honor YHWH from your substance, And from the beginning of all your increase;
Honour thou Yahweh, with thy substance, and with the firstfruit of all thine increase;
10 And your barns are filled [with] plenty, And your presses break forth [with] new wine.
So shall thy storehouses be filled with plenty, and, with new wine, shall thy vats overflow.
11 Discipline of YHWH, my son, do not despise, And do not be distressed with His reproof,
The, chastening of Yahweh, my son, do not reject, nor loathe his rebuke;
12 For whom YHWH loves He reproves, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
For, whom Yahweh loveth, he correcteth, he causeth pain to 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.
How happy the man who hath found wisdom, and the man who draweth forth understanding,
14 For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold—her increase.
For better is her merchandise, than the merchandise of silver, yea, than gold, her increase;
15 She [is] precious above rubies, And all your pleasures are not comparable to her.
More precious, is she, than corals, yea, none of thy delightful things, doth equal 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, 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.
A tree of life, is she, to them who secure her, —and, they who hold her fast, are every one to be pronounced happy.
19 YHWH founded the earth by wisdom, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
Yahweh, in wisdom, founded the earth, establishing the heavens with understanding;
20 By His knowledge depths have been broken, And clouds drop dew.
By his knowledge, the resounding deeps were burst open, and, the skies, drop down dew.
21 My son! Do not let them turn from your eyes, Keep wisdom and thoughtfulness,
My son, let them not depart from thine eyes, guard thou counsel, and purpose:
22 And they are life to your soul, and grace to your neck.
So shall they become life to thy soul, and an adorning to thy neck;
23 Then you go your way confidently, And your foot does not stumble.
Then, shalt thou walk securely in thy way, and, thy foot, shall not stumble;
24 If you lie down, you are not afraid, Indeed, you have lain down, And your sleep has been sweet.
When thou sittest down, thou shalt have no dread, yea thou shalt lie down, and sweet shall be thy sleep.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it comes.
Be not thou afraid of sudden dread, nor of the desolation of the lawless, when it cometh.
26 For YHWH is at your side, And He has kept your foot from capture.
For, Yahweh, will be in all thy ways, and will keep thy foot from the snare.
27 Do not withhold good from its owners, When your hand [is] toward God to do [it].
Withhold not good from them who ask it, when it is in 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.
Do not say to 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 against thy neighbour an injury, seeing that, he, dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has not done you evil.
Contend not with a man without cause, if he hath dealt thee no wrong.
31 Do not be envious of a man of violence, Nor fix on any of his ways.
Do not thou envy the man of violence, neither choose thou any of his ways;
32 For the perverted [is] an abomination to YHWH, And His secret counsel [is] with the upright.
For, an abomination to Yahweh, is the tortuous man, but, with the upright, he is intimate.
33 The curse of YHWH [is] in the house of the wicked. And He blesses the habitation of the righteous.
The curse of Yahweh, is in the house of the lawless one, but, the home of the righteous, he blesseth.
34 If He scorns the scorners, Yet He gives grace to the humble.
Though at scoffers he scoffeth, yet, to the humbled, he granteth favour.
35 The wise inherit glory, And fools are bearing away shame!
Honour, shall the wise inherit, —but, as for dullards, shame shall carry them away.
