Proverbs 3

1 My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,

[My] son, forget not my laws; but let thine heart keep my words:

2 For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.

for length of existence, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

3 Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; but bind them about thy neck:

4 And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.

so shalt thou find favour: and do thou provide things honest in the sight of the Lord, and of men.

5 Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.

Trust in God with all thine heart; and be not exalted in thine own wisdom.

6 In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.

In all thy ways acquaint thyself with her, that she may rightly direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.

Be not wise in thine own conceit; but fear God, and depart from all evil.

8 Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.

Then shall there be health to thy body, and good keeping to thy bones.

9 Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;

Honour the Lord with thy just labours, and give him the first of thy fruits of righteousness:

10 And filled are thy barns [with] plenty, And [with] new wine thy presses break forth.

that thy storehouses may be completely filled with corn, and that thy presses may burst forth with wine.

11 Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof,

[My] son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

12 For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.

for whom the Lord loves, he rebukes, and scourges every son whom he receives.

13 O the happiness of a man [who] hath found wisdom, And of a man [who] bringeth forth understanding.

Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, and the mortal who knows prudence.

14 For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold — her increase.

For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver.

15 Precious she [is] above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her.

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.

16 Length of days [is] in her right hand, In her left [are] wealth and honour.

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.

17 Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, And all her paths [are] peace.

Her ways are good ways, and all her paths are peaceful.

18 A tree of life she [is] to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her [is] happy.

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.

19 Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.

God by wisdom founded the earth, and by prudence he prepared the heavens.

20 By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.

By understanding were the depths broken up, and the clouds dropped water.

21 My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,

[My] son, let [them] not pass from [thee], but keep my counsel and understanding:

22 And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

that thy soul may live, and that there may be grace round thy neck; and it shall be health to thy flesh, and safety to thy bones:

23 Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.

that thou mayest go confidently in peace in all thy ways, and that thy foot may not stumble.

24 If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.

For if thou rest, thou shalt be undismayed; and if thou sleep, thou shalt slumber sweetly.

25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.

And thou shalt not be afraid of alarm coming upon thee, neither of approaching attacks of ungodly men.

26 For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.

For the Lord shall be over all thy ways, and shall establish thy foot that thou be not moved.

27 Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand [is] toward God to do [it].

Forbear not to do good to the poor, whensoever thy hand may have [power] to help [him].

28 Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.

Say not, Come back another time, to-morrow I will give; while thou art able to do [him] good: for thou knowest not what the next day will bring forth.

29 Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.

Devise not evil against thy friend, living near thee and trusting in thee.

30 Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.

Be not ready to quarrel with a man without a cause, lest he do thee some harm.

31 Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.

Procure not the reproaches of bad men, neither do thou covet their ways.

32 For an abomination to Jehovah [is] the perverted, And with the upright [is] His secret counsel.

For every transgressor is unclean before the Lord; neither does he sit among the righteous.

33 The curse of Jehovah [is] in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth.

The curse of God is in the houses of the ungodly; but the habitations of the just are blessed.

34 If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace.

The Lord resists the proud; but he gives grace to the humble.

35 Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!

The wise shall inherit glory; but the ungodly have exalted [their own] dishonour.