Proverbs 3–5

Advice to Children

3My child, do not forget my teaching,

but keep my commands in mind.

²Then you will live a long time,

and your life will be successful.

³Don’t ever forget kindness and truth.

Wear them like a necklace.

Write them on your heart as if on a tablet.

⁴Then you will be respected

and will please both God and people.

⁵Trust the Lord with all your heart,

and don’t depend on your own understanding.

⁶Remember the Lord in all you do,

and he will give you success.

⁷Don’t depend on your own wisdom.

Respect the Lord and refuse to do wrong.

⁸Then your body will be healthy,

and your bones will be strong.

⁹Honor the Lord with your wealth

and the firstfruits from all your crops.

¹⁰Then your barns will be full,

and your wine barrels will overflow with new wine.

¹¹My child, do not reject the Lord’s discipline,

and don’t get angry when he corrects you.

¹²The Lord corrects those he loves,

just as parents correct the child they delight in.

¹³Happy is the person who finds wisdom,

the one who gets understanding.

¹⁴Wisdom is worth more than silver;

it brings more profit than gold.

¹⁵Wisdom is more precious than rubies;

nothing you could want is equal to it.

¹⁶With her right hand wisdom offers you a long life,

and with her left hand she gives you riches and honor.

¹⁷Wisdom will make your life pleasant

and will bring you peace.

¹⁸As a tree produces fruit, wisdom gives life to those who use it,

and everyone who uses it will be happy.

¹⁹The Lord made the earth, using his wisdom.

He set the sky in place, using his understanding.

²⁰With his knowledge, he made springs flow into rivers

and the clouds drop rain on the earth.

²¹My child, hold on to wisdom and good sense.

Don’t let them out of your sight.

²²They will give you life

and beauty like a necklace around your neck.

²³Then you will go your way in safety,

and you will not get hurt.

²⁴When you lie down, you won’t be afraid;

when you lie down, you will sleep in peace.

²⁵You won’t be afraid of sudden trouble;

you won’t fear the ruin that comes to the wicked,

²⁶because the Lord will keep you safe.

He will keep you from being trapped.

²⁷Whenever you are able,

do good to people who need help.

²⁸If you have what your neighbor asks for,

don’t say, “Come back later.

I will give it to you tomorrow.”

²⁹Don’t make plans to hurt your neighbor

who lives nearby and trusts you.

³⁰Don’t accuse a person for no good reason;

don’t accuse someone who has not harmed you.

³¹Don’t be jealous of those who use violence,

and don’t choose to be like them.

³²The Lord hates those who do wrong,

but he is a friend to those who are honest.

³³The Lord will curse the evil person’s house,

but he will bless the home of those who do right.

³⁴The Lord laughs at those who laugh at him,

but he gives grace to those who are not proud.

³⁵Wise people will receive honor,

but fools will be disgraced.

Wisdom Is Important

4My children, listen to your father’s teaching;

pay attention so you will understand.

²What I am telling you is good,

so do not forget what I teach you.

³When I was a young boy in my father’s house

and like an only child to my mother,

⁴my father taught me and said,

“Hold on to my words with all your heart.

Keep my commands and you will live.

⁵Get wisdom and understanding.

Don’t forget or ignore my words.

⁶Hold on to wisdom, and it will take care of you.

Love it, and it will keep you safe.

⁷Wisdom is the most important thing; so get wisdom.

If it costs everything you have, get understanding.

⁸Treasure wisdom, and it will make you great;

hold on to it, and it will bring you honor.

⁹It will be like flowers in your hair

and like a beautiful crown on your head.”

¹⁰My child, listen and accept what I say.

Then you will have a long life.

¹¹I am guiding you in the way of wisdom,

and I am leading you on the right path.

¹²Nothing will hold you back;

you will not be overwhelmed.

¹³Always remember what you have been taught,

and don’t let go of it.

Keep all that you have learned;

it is the most important thing in life.

¹⁴Don’t follow the ways of the wicked;

don’t do what evil people do.

¹⁵Avoid their ways, and don’t follow them.

Stay away from them and keep on going,

¹⁶because they cannot sleep until they do evil.

They cannot rest until they harm someone.

¹⁷They feast on wickedness and cruelty

as if they were eating bread and drinking wine.

¹⁸The way of the good person is like the light of dawn,

growing brighter and brighter until full daylight.

¹⁹But the wicked walk around in the dark;

they can’t even see what makes them stumble.

²⁰My child, pay attention to my words;

listen closely to what I say.

²¹Don’t ever forget my words;

keep them always in mind.

²²They are the key to life for those who find them;

they bring health to the whole body.

²³Be careful what you think,

because your thoughts run your life.

²⁴Don’t use your mouth to tell lies;

don’t ever say things that are not true.

²⁵Keep your eyes focused on what is right,

and look straight ahead to what is good.

²⁶Be careful what you do,

and always do what is right.

²⁷Don’t turn off the road of goodness;

keep away from evil paths.

Warning About Adultery

5My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

listen to my words of understanding.

²Be careful to use good sense,

and watch what you say.

³The words of another man’s wife may seem sweet as honey;

they may be as smooth as olive oil.

⁴But in the end she will bring you sorrow,

causing you pain like a two-edged sword.

⁵She is on the way to death;

her steps are headed straight to the grave.

⁶She gives little thought to life.

She doesn’t even know that her ways are wrong.

⁷Now, my sons, listen to me,

and don’t ignore what I say.

⁸Stay away from such a woman.

Don’t even go near the door of her house,

⁹or you will give your riches to others,

and the best years of your life will be given to someone cruel.

¹⁰Strangers will enjoy your wealth,

and what you worked so hard for will go to someone else.

¹¹You will groan at the end of your life

when your health is gone.

¹²Then you will say, “I hated being told what to do!

I would not listen to correction!

¹³I would not listen to my teachers

or pay attention to my instructors.

¹⁴I came close to being completely ruined

in front of a whole group of people.”

¹⁵Be faithful to your own wife,

just as you drink water from your own well.

¹⁶Don’t pour your water in the streets;

don’t give your love to just any woman.

¹⁷These things are yours alone

and shouldn’t be shared with strangers.

¹⁸Be happy with the wife you married when you were young.

She gives you joy, as your fountain gives you water.

¹⁹She is as lovely and graceful as a deer.

Let her love always make you happy;

let her love always hold you captive.

²⁰My son, don’t be held captive by a woman who takes part in adultery.

Don’t fondle a woman who is not your wife.

²¹The Lord sees everything you do,

and he watches where you go.

²²An evil man will be caught in his wicked ways;

the ropes of his sins will tie him up.

²³He will die because he does not control himself,

and he will be held captive by his foolishness.