Proverbs 3
1 My son, forget not my teaching, And let thy heart observe my precepts!
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 shall they multiply 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 around thy neck, Write them upon the tablet 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 Then shalt thou find favor and good success 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 on 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 make thy paths plain.
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 muscles, And moisture to thy bones.
If you do that, your body will be healthy/strong; it will be [like] medicine for you.
9 Honor the LORD with thy substance, And with the first-fruits of all thy 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 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 correction of the LORD, Nor be impatient under his chastisement!
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 chasteneth, 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 the man who findeth wisdom; Yea, the man who getteth understanding!
[Yahweh] is pleased with those who become wise and have good understanding.
14 For the profit thereof is greater than that of silver, And the gain thereof than that of fine gold.
Being wise and having good understanding is worth more than silver, better than gold.
15 More precious is she than pearls, And none of thy jewels is to be compared with 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 honor.
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 of her, And happy is every one who hath her in his grasp.
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 framed the heavens.
By his wisdom Yahweh created the earth, and by his understanding he put everything in the skies.
20 By his knowledge the deep waters were cleft, And the clouds 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 them not 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 For they shall be life to 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 go on thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble;
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 thou afraid of sudden alarm, Nor of the storm that is for 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 shall be thy confidence; Yea, he will keep thy foot from being taken.
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 kindness from those who need it, 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 to thy neighbor, “Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give to thee,” 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 neighbor, While 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 Contend not with a man without cause, When he hath done thee no harm.
If someone has not harmed you, do not accuse him [by saying that he has harmed you].
31 Envy not the oppressor, 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 man is the abomination of the LORD, But he is in friendship 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 upon the house of the wicked, But he blesseth the dwelling 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 Surely the scorners he treadeth scornfully, But giveth favor to the lowly.
Yahweh makes fun of those who make fun [of others], but he kindly helps those who are humble.
35 The wise shall obtain honor, But fools shall bear off shame.
Wise [people] will be honored {people will honor wise people}, but foolish people will be dishonored/disgraced.
