Proverbs 3
1 My son, mine instruction, do not thou forget, and, my commandment, let thy heart observe;
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 blessedness, shall they add to thee.
because [if you obey them] you will live a long time and things will go well for you
3 Lovingkindness and faithfulness, let them not forsake thee, —bind them, upon 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 So find thou favour and good repute, in the eyes of God and man.
If you do, God and people will approve of you and think highly of you [MTY].
5 Trust thou in Yahweh, with all thy heart, and, unto thine own understanding, do not lean:
Trust in Yahweh completely, and do not rely on what you yourself understand.
6 In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and, he, will make straight thy paths.
Always allow him to lead you. If you do that, he will (show you the right path/direct your life).
7 Do not become wise in thine own eyes, revere Yahweh, and avoid evil:
Do not be proud of being wise. [Instead], revere Yahweh and turn away from doing evil.
8 Healing, shall it be to thy body, and refreshing, to thy bones.
If you do that, your body will be healthy/strong; it will be [like] medicine for you.
9 Honour thou Yahweh, with thy substance, and with the firstfruit of all thine increase;
Honor Yahweh by [what you do with] your money; and [by giving him] the first part of your harvest.
10 So shall thy storehouses be filled with plenty, and, with new wine, shall thy vats overflow.
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 The, chastening of Yahweh, my son, do not reject, nor loathe his rebuke;
My son, when Yahweh disciplines/corrects you, do not despise it, and if he rebukes you, do not resent it.
12 For, whom Yahweh loveth, he correcteth, he causeth pain to 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 How happy the man who hath found wisdom, and the man who draweth forth understanding,
[Yahweh] is pleased with those who become wise and have good understanding.
14 For better is her merchandise, than the merchandise of silver, yea, than gold, her increase;
Being wise and having good understanding is worth more than silver, better than gold.
15 More precious, is she, than corals, yea, none of thy delightful things, doth equal 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, are riches and honour;
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 A tree of life, is she, to them who secure her, —and, they who hold her fast, are every one to be pronounced happy.
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 Yahweh, in wisdom, founded the earth, establishing the heavens with understanding;
By his wisdom Yahweh created the earth, and by his understanding he put everything in the skies.
20 By his knowledge, the resounding deeps were burst open, and, the skies, drop down 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, guard thou counsel, and purpose:
My son, [always] keep doing things that are right and things that are smart. If you do that,
22 So shall they become life to thy soul, and an adorning to thy neck;
you will live [many years] and be honored and respected {people will honor and respect you}.
23 Then, shalt thou walk securely in thy way, 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 sittest down, thou shalt have no dread, yea thou shalt lie down, and sweet shall be thy sleep.
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 dread, nor of the desolation of the lawless, 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, Yahweh, will be in all thy ways, and will keep thy foot from the snare.
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 good from them who ask it, when it is in power of thy hand to do it:
If you are able to help people who deserve it, do not refuse to help them.
28 Do not say to thy neighbour, Go and come again, and to-morrow I will give, 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 against thy neighbour an injury, seeing that, 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, if he hath dealt thee no wrong.
If someone has not harmed you, do not accuse him [by saying that he has harmed you].
31 Do not thou envy the man of violence, neither choose thou any of his ways;
Do not envy people who [obtain things by] violent actions, and do not imitate/do what they do.
32 For, an abomination to Yahweh, is the tortuous man, but, with the upright, he is intimate.
[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 Yahweh, is in the house of the lawless one, but, the home of the righteous, he blesseth.
Yahweh curses the families [MTY] of those who are wicked, but he blesses the families of those who are good/righteous.
34 Though at scoffers he scoffeth, yet, to the humbled, he granteth favour.
Yahweh makes fun of those who make fun [of others], but he kindly helps those who are humble.
35 Honour, shall the wise inherit, —but, as for dullards, shame shall carry them away.
Wise [people] will be honored {people will honor wise people}, but foolish people will be dishonored/disgraced.
