Proverbs 3
1 My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,
My son, do not forget what I have taught you. Keep my commands in your inner being,
2 For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.
because [if you obey them] you will live a long time and things will go well for you
3 Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on 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 And find grace and good understanding 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 unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.
Trust in Yahweh completely, and do not rely on what you yourself understand.
6 In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth 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 Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil.
Do not be proud of being wise. [Instead], revere Yahweh and turn away from doing evil.
8 Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.
If you do that, your body will be healthy/strong; it will be [like] medicine for you.
9 Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase;
Honor Yahweh by [what you do with] your money; and [by giving him] the first part of your harvest.
10 And filled are thy barns [with] plenty, And [with] new wine thy presses break forth.
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 Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof,
My son, when Yahweh disciplines/corrects you, do not despise it, and if he rebukes you, do not resent it.
12 For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.
[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 O the happiness of a man [who] hath found wisdom, And of a man [who] bringeth 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, And than gold — her increase.
Being wise and having good understanding is worth more than silver, better than gold.
15 Precious she [is] above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to 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] wealth 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 she [is] to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her [is] 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 Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding.
By his wisdom Yahweh created the earth, and by his understanding he put everything in the skies.
20 By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop 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 turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,
My son, [always] keep doing things that are right and things that are smart. If you do that,
22 And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
you will live [many years] and be honored and respected {people will honor and respect you}.
23 Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth 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 If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been 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 afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked 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 Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.
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 its owners, When thy hand [is] toward God to do [it].
If you are able to help people who deserve it, do not refuse to help them.
28 Say not thou to thy friend, 'Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with 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 evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.
Do not make plans to harm those you interact with regularly, [because] they live near you, and they trust you.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.
If someone has not harmed you, do not accuse him [by saying that he has harmed you].
31 Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on 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 Jehovah [is] the perverted, And with the upright [is] His secret counsel.
[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 Jehovah [is] in the house of the wicked. And the habitation 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 If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace.
Yahweh makes fun of those who make fun [of others], but he kindly helps those who are humble.
35 Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!
Wise [people] will be honored {people will honor wise people}, but foolish people will be dishonored/disgraced.
