< Proverbs 3 >

1 My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,
My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart guard my precepts.
2 For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.
For they shall set before you length of days, and years of life, and peace.
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 abandon you: encircle them around your throat, and inscribe them on the tablets of your heart.
4 And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
And so shall you discover grace and good discipline, in the sight of God and men.
5 Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.
Have confidence in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend upon your own prudence.
6 In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.
In all your ways, consider him, and he himself will direct your steps.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.
Do not seem wise to yourself. Fear God, and withdraw from evil.
8 Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.
Certainly, it shall be health to your navel, and refreshment to your bones.
9 Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;
Honor the Lord with your substance, and give to him from the first of all your fruits,
10 And filled are thy barns [with] plenty, And [with] new wine thy presses break forth.
and then your storehouses will be filled with abundance, and your presses shall overflow with wine.
11 Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof,
My son, do not discard the discipline of the Lord, and do not fall away when you are corrected by him.
12 For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
For whomever the Lord loves, he corrects, and just as a father does with a son, he wins him over.
13 O the happiness of a man [who] hath found wisdom, And of a man [who] bringeth forth understanding.
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom and who advances to prudence.
14 For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold — her increase.
Her acquisition is better than trading in silver, and her fruit is better than the first and purest gold.
15 Precious she [is] above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her.
She is more precious than all riches, and all that can be desired cannot prevail in comparison to her.
16 Length of days [is] in her right hand, In her left [are] wealth and honour.
Length of days is at her right hand, and at her left hand is wealth and glory.
17 Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, And all her paths [are] peace.
Her ways are beautiful 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 those who overtake her, and he who shall take hold of her is blessed.
19 Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
The Lord founded the earth on wisdom. He secured the heavens with prudence.
20 By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.
By his wisdom, the abyss erupted and the clouds increased with dew.
21 My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,
My son, let not these things move away from your eyes. Preserve law as well as counsel.
22 And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
And so shall there be life in your soul and grace in your voice.
23 Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.
Then you shall walk confidently in your way, and your feet will not stumble.
24 If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.
When you slumber, you shall not fear. When you rest, your sleep also will be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.
Do not fear unexpected terror, nor the power of the impious falling upon you.
26 For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.
For the Lord will be at your side, and he will guard your feet, so that you may not be seized.
27 Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand [is] toward God to do [it].
Do not prevent him who is able from doing good. When you are able, do good yourself too.
28 Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.
Do not say to your friend: “Go away, and then return. Tomorrow I will give to you.” When you are able to do so, give in the present.
29 Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.
Do not undertake evil against your friend, even though he has trust in you.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.
Do not contend against a man without cause, even though he has done no evil to you.
31 Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.
Do not rival an unjust man, and do not imitate his ways.
32 For an abomination to Jehovah [is] the perverted, And with the upright [is] His secret counsel.
For everyone who ridicules is an abomination to the Lord, and his communication is for the simple.
33 The curse of Jehovah [is] in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth.
Destitution in the house of the impious is from the Lord. But the habitations of the just shall be blessed.
34 If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace.
He will ridicule those who ridicule, but he will bestow grace upon the mild.
35 Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!
The wise will possess glory. The exaltation of the foolish is disgraceful.

< Proverbs 3 >