Proverbs 3–4

CHAPTER 3

Trust, Fear, and Honor Yahweh

¹My son, ^ado not forget my ¹law,

But let your heart ^bguard my commandments;

²For ^alength of days and years of life

And peace they will add to you.

³Do not let ^alovingkindness and truth forsake you;

^bBind them around your neck,

^cWrite them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴So you will ^afind favor and ^bgood insight

In the eyes of God and man.

^5aTrust in Yahweh with all your heart

And ^bdo not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways ^1aacknowledge Him,

And He will ^bmake your paths straight.

^7aDo not be wise in your own eyes;

^bFear Yahweh and turn away from evil.

⁸It will be ^ahealing to your ¹body

And ^brefreshment to your bones.

^9aHonor Yahweh from your wealth

And from the ^bfirst of all your produce;

¹⁰So your ^abarns will be filled with plenty

And your ^bvats will burst with new wine.

^11aMy son, do not reject the ¹discipline of Yahweh

Or loathe His reproof,

¹²For ^awhom Yahweh loves He reproves,

Even ^bas a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

^13aHow blessed is the man who finds wisdom

And the man who obtains discernment.

¹⁴For her ^aprofit is better than the profit of silver

And her produce better than fine gold.

¹⁵She is ^amore precious than ¹pearls;

And nothing you desire compares with her.

^16aLength of days is in her right hand;

In her left hand are ^briches and glory.

¹⁷Her ^aways are pleasant ways

And all her pathways are ^bpeace.

¹⁸She is a ^atree of life to those who seize her,

And all those who hold her fast are blessed.

¹⁹Yahweh ^aby wisdom founded the earth,

By discernment He ^bestablished the heavens.

²⁰By His knowledge the ^adeeps were split up

And the ^bskies drip with dew.

²¹My son, ^alet them not deviate from your eyes;

Guard sound wisdom and discretion,

²²So they will be ^alife for your soul

And ^bgrace for your neck.

²³Then you will ^awalk in your way securely

And your foot will not ^bstumble.

²⁴When you ^alie down, you will not be in dread;

You will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant.

^25aDo not be afraid of sudden dread

Nor of the ^bstorm of the wicked when it comes;

²⁶For Yahweh will be ¹your confidence

And will ^akeep your foot from being caught.

^27aDo not withhold good from ¹those to whom it is due,

When it is in your hand to do it.

^28aDo not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will give it,”

When it is there with you.

^29aDo not devise ¹harm against your neighbor,

While he lives securely beside you.

^30aDo not contend with a man without cause,

If he has dealt you no ¹harm.

^31aDo not envy a man of violence

And do not choose any of his ways.

³²For the ^adevious one is an abomination to Yahweh;

But His ^bsecret council is with the upright.

³³The ^acurse of Yahweh is on the house of the wicked one,

But He ^bblesses the abode of the righteous.

³⁴Though ^aHe scoffs at the scoffers,

Yet ^bHe gives grace to the humble.

^35aThe wise will inherit glory,

But ¹fools raise up disgrace.

CHAPTER 4

A Father’s Wise Instruction

¹Hear, O sons, the ^adiscipline of a father,

And ^bpay attention that you may know understanding,

²For I give you ¹sound ^alearning;

^bDo not forsake my ²instruction.

³When I was a son to my father,

^aTender and ^bthe only son before my mother,

⁴Then he ^ainstructed me and said to me,

“Let your heart ^bhold fast my words;

^cKeep my commandments and live;

^5aAcquire wisdom! ^bAcquire understanding!

Do not forget and do not turn away from the sayings of my mouth.

⁶“Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

^aLove her, and she will guard you.

⁷“^1aThe beginning of wisdom is: ^bAcquire wisdom;

And with all your acquiring, acquire understanding.

⁸“^aPrize her, and she will exalt you;

She will honor you if you embrace her.

⁹“She will give ^afor your head a garland of grace;

She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

¹⁰Hear, my son, and ^areceive my sayings

And the ^byears of your life will be many.

¹¹I have ^ainstructed you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in upright tracks.

¹²When you walk, your ^asteps will not be impeded;

And if you run, you ^bwill not stumble.

^13aSeize discipline; do not let go.

Guard her, for she is your ^blife.

^14aDo not enter the path of wicked men

And do not step into the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, do not pass by it;

^aStray from it and pass on.

¹⁶For they ^ado not sleep unless they do evil;

And ¹they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

¹⁷For they ^aeat the bread of wickedness

And drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the ^apath of the righteous is like the ^blight of dawn,

That ^cshines brighter and brighter until the ^dfullness of day.

¹⁹The ^away of the wicked is like thick darkness;

They do not know over what they ^1bstumble.

²⁰My son, ^apay attention to my words;

^bIncline your ear to my sayings.

^21aDo not let them deviate from your eyes;

^bKeep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are ^alife to those who find them

And ^bhealing to all his flesh.

²³Guard your heart with all diligence,

For ^afrom it flow the springs of life.

²⁴Put away from you a ^aperverse mouth

And ^bput devious lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look directly ahead

And even let your eyelids be fixed straight in front of you.

^26aWatch the track of your feet

And all your ^bways will be established.

^27aDo not turn to the right nor to the left;

^bTurn your foot from evil.