Proverbs 3
1 My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,
My son, forget not my teaching; but let thy heart keep my commandments;
2 For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.
For length of days, and years of life, and peace, will 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 kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart;
4 And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.
So shalt thou find grace and good favour in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.
Trust in the LORD with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.
Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil;
8 Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
10 And filled are thy barns [with] plenty, And [with] new wine thy presses break forth.
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new 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, neither spurn thou His correction;
12 For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 O the happiness of a man [who] hath found wisdom, And of a man [who] bringeth forth understanding.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that obtaineth understanding.
14 For better [is] her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold — her increase.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15 Precious she [is] above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her.
She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto 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; in her left hand are riches and honour.
17 Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness, And all her paths [are] peace.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
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 upon her, and happy is every one that holdest her fast.
19 Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.
20 By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.
By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.
21 My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.
Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thou shalt not dash thy foot.
24 If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, 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 terror, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh;
26 For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.
For the LORD will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being caught.
27 Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand [is] toward God to do [it].
Withhold not good from him to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.
28 Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.
Say not unto thy neighbour: 'Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give'; when thou hast it by thee.
29 Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.
Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.
Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31 Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.
Envy thou not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways.
32 For an abomination to Jehovah [is] the perverted, And with the upright [is] His secret counsel.
For the perverse is an abomination to the LORD; but His counsel is with the upright.
33 The curse of Jehovah [is] in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth.
The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked; but He blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
34 If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace.
If it concerneth the scorners, He scorneth them, but unto the humble He giveth grace.
35 Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!
The wise shall inherit honour; but as for the fools, they carry away shame.
