< Proverbs 3 >
1 My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,
My son, forget not my law, and let thy heart keep my commandments.
2 For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.
For they shall add to thee 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 leave thee, put them about thy neck, and write them in the tables of thy heart:
4 And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
And thou shalt And grace and good understanding before 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 thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence.
6 In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.
In all thy ways think on him, and he will direct thy steps.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.
I Be not wise in thy own conceit: fear God, and depart from evil:
8 Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.
For it shall be health to thy navel, and moistening to thy bones.
9 Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;
Honour the Lord with thy substance, and give him of the first of all thy fruits:
10 And filled are thy barns [with] plenty, And [with] new wine thy presses break forth.
And thy barns shall be filled with abundance, and thy presses shall run over with wine.
11 Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof,
My son, reject not the correction of the Lord: and do not faint when thou art chastised by him:
12 For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth: and as a father in the son he pleaseth himself.
13 O the happiness of a man [who] hath found wisdom, And of a man [who] bringeth forth understanding.
Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom and is rich in prudence:
14 For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold — her increase.
The purchasing thereof is better than the merchandise of silver, and her fruit than the chiefest 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 the things that are desired, are not to be compared with her.
16 Length of days [is] in her right hand, In her left [are] wealth and honour.
Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches 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 peaceable.
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 them that lay hold on her: and he that shall retain her is blessed.
19 Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, hath established the heavens by prudence.
20 By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.
By his wisdom the depths have broken out, and the clouds grow thick with dew.
21 My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,
My son, let not these things depart from thy eyes: keep the law and counsel:
22 And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
And there shall be life to thy soul, and grace to thy mouth.
23 Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.
Then shalt thou walk confidently in thy way, and thy foot shall not stumble:
24 If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.
If thou sleep, thou shalt not fear: thou shalt rest, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.
Be not afraid of sudden fear, nor of the power of the wicked falling upon thee.
26 For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.
For the Lord will be at thy side, and will keep thy foot that thou be not taken.
27 Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand [is] toward God to do [it].
Do not withhold him from doing good, who is able: if thou art able, do good thyself also.
28 Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.
Say not to thy friend: Go, and come again: and tomorrow I will give to thee: when thou canst give at present.
29 Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.
Practise not evil against thy friend, when he hath confidence in thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.
Strive not against a man without cause, when he hath done thee no evil.
31 Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.
Envy not the unjust man, and do not follow his ways:
32 For an abomination to Jehovah [is] the perverted, And with the upright [is] His secret counsel.
For every mocker is an abomination to the Lord, and his communication is with the simple.
33 The curse of Jehovah [is] in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth.
Want is from the Lord in the house of the wicked: 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 shall scorn the scorners, and to the meek he will give grace.
35 Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!
The wise shall possess glory: the promotion of fools is disgrace.