Proverbs 3:1–4:27

¹My son, forget not my teaching, and let thy heart observe my commandments; ²for length of days, and years of life, and peace shall they add to thee. ³Let not loving-kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart: ⁴and thou shalt find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. ⁵Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence; ⁶in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make plain thy paths.

⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear Jehovah, and depart from evil: ⁸it shall be health for thy navel, and moisture for thy bones. ⁹Honour Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase; ¹⁰so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine. ¹¹My son, despise not the instruction of Jehovah, neither be weary of his chastisement; ¹²for whom Jehovah loveth he chasteneth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

¹³Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. ¹⁴For the gain thereof is better than the gain of silver, and her revenue than fine gold. ¹⁵She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not equal unto her. ¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand riches and honour. ¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. ¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is he that retaineth her. ¹⁹Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens. ²⁰By his knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.

²¹My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion: ²²so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace unto thy neck. ²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble; ²⁴when thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, but thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet. ²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh; ²⁶for Jehovah shall be thy confidence, and he will keep thy foot from being taken.

²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it. ²⁸Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee. ²⁹Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. ³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. ³¹Envy not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways. ³²For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; but his secret is with the upright. ³³The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous. ³⁴He indeed scorneth the scorners; but he giveth grace unto the lowly. ³⁵The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of the foolish.

Chapter 4

¹Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence; ²for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law. ³For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother. ⁴And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live. ⁵Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. ⁶Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee. ⁷The beginning of wisdom is, Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence. ⁸Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her. ⁹She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee. ¹⁰Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied. ¹¹I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness. ¹²When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. ¹³Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go: keep her, for she is thy life.

¹⁴Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men: ¹⁵avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away. ¹⁶For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused some to fall. ¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. ¹⁸But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come. ¹⁹The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

²⁰My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. ²¹Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart. ²²For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. ²³Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life. ²⁴Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee. ²⁵Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. ²⁶Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered. ²⁷Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.