Proverbs 3–5

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

3My son,^x do not forget my teaching,^y

but keep my commands in your heart,

²for they will prolong your life many years^z

and bring you peace and prosperity.^a

³Let love and faithfulness^b never leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.^c

⁴Then you will win favor and a good name

in the sight of God and man.^d

⁵Trust in the Lord^e with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths^f straight.^ag

⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes;^h

fear the Lordⁱ and shun evil.^j

⁸This will bring health to your body^k

and nourishment to your bones.^l

⁹Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits^m of all your crops;

¹⁰then your barns will be filledⁿ to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.^o

¹¹My son,^p do not despise the Lord’s discipline,^q

and do not resent his rebuke,

¹²because the Lord disciplines those he loves,^r

as a father the son he delights in.^bs

¹³Blessed are those who find wisdom,

those who gain understanding,

¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.^t

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies;^u

nothing you desire can compare with her.^v

¹⁶Long life is in her right hand;^w

in her left hand are riches and honor.^x

¹⁷Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.^y

¹⁸She is a tree of life^z to those who take hold of her;

those who hold her fast will be blessed.^a

¹⁹By wisdom^b the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,^c

by understanding he set the heavens^d in place;

²⁰by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew.

²¹My son,^e do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,^f

preserve sound judgment and discretion;

²²they will be life for you,^g

an ornament to grace your neck.^h

²³Then you will go on your way in safety,ⁱ

and your foot will not stumble.^j

²⁴When you lie down,^k you will not be afraid;^l

when you lie down, your sleep^m will be sweet.

²⁵Have no fear of sudden disaster

or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

²⁶for the Lord will be at your sideⁿ

and will keep your foot^o from being snared.^p

²⁷Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

when it is in your power to act.

²⁸Do not say to your neighbor,

“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—

when you already have it with you.^q

²⁹Do not plot harm against your neighbor,

who lives trustfully near you.^r

³⁰Do not accuse anyone for no reason—

when they have done you no harm.

³¹Do not envy^s the violent

or choose any of their ways.

³²For the Lord detests the perverse^t

but takes the upright into his confidence.^u

³³The Lord’s curse^v is on the house of the wicked,^w

but he blesses the home of the righteous.^x

³⁴He mocks^y proud mockers^z

but shows favor to the humble^a and oppressed.

³⁵The wise inherit honor,

but fools get only shame.

Get Wisdom at Any Cost

4Listen, my sons,^b to a father’s instruction;^c

pay attention and gain understanding.^d

²I give you sound learning,

so do not forsake my teaching.

³For I too was a son to my father,

still tender, and cherished by my mother.

⁴Then he taught me, and he said to me,

“Take hold^e of my words with all your heart;

keep my commands, and you will live.^f

⁵Get wisdom,^g get understanding;

do not forget my words or turn away from them.

⁶Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;^h

love her, and she will watch over you.ⁱ

⁷The beginning of wisdom is this: Get^a wisdom.

Though it cost all^j you have,^b get understanding.^k

⁸Cherish her, and she will exalt you;

embrace her, and she will honor you.^l

⁹She will give you a garland to grace your head

and present you with a glorious crown.^m”

¹⁰Listen, my son,ⁿ accept what I say,

and the years of your life will be many.^o

¹¹I instruct^p you in the way of wisdom

and lead you along straight paths.^q

¹²When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;

when you run, you will not stumble.^r

¹³Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;

guard it well, for it is your life.^s

¹⁴Do not set foot on the path of the wicked

or walk in the way of evildoers.^t

¹⁵Avoid it, do not travel on it;

turn from it and go on your way.

¹⁶For they cannot rest until they do evil;^u

they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.

¹⁷They eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.^v

¹⁸The path of the righteous^w is like the morning sun,^x

shining ever brighter till the full light of day.^y

¹⁹But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;^z

they do not know what makes them stumble.^a

²⁰My son,^b pay attention to what I say;

turn your ear to my words.^c

²¹Do not let them out of your sight,^d

keep them within your heart;

²²for they are life to those who find them

and health to one’s whole body.^e

²³Above all else, guard^f your heart,

for everything you do flows from it.^g

²⁴Keep your mouth free of perversity;

keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

²⁵Let your eyes^h look straight ahead;

fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶Give careful thought to the^c paths for your feetⁱ

and be steadfast in all your ways.

²⁷Do not turn to the right or the left;^j

keep your foot from evil.

Warning Against Adultery

5My son,^k pay attention to my wisdom,

turn your ear to my words^l of insight,

²that you may maintain discretion

and your lips may preserve knowledge.

³For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,

and her speech is smoother than oil;^m

⁴but in the end she is bitter as gall,ⁿ

sharp as a double-edged sword.

⁵Her feet go down to death;

her steps lead straight to the grave.^o

⁶She gives no thought to the way of life;

her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.^p

⁷Now then, my sons, listen^q to me;

do not turn aside from what I say.

⁸Keep to a path far from her,^r

do not go near the door of her house,

⁹lest you lose your honor to others

and your dignity^a to one who is cruel,

¹⁰lest strangers feast on your wealth

and your toil enrich the house of another.^s

¹¹At the end of your life you will groan,

when your flesh and body are spent.

¹²You will say, “How I hated discipline!

How my heart spurned correction!^t

¹³I would not obey my teachers

or turn my ear to my instructors.

¹⁴And I was soon in serious trouble^u

in the assembly of God’s people.”^v

¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern,

running water from your own well.

¹⁶Should your springs overflow in the streets,

your streams of water in the public squares?

¹⁷Let them be yours alone,

never to be shared with strangers.

¹⁸May your fountain^w be blessed,

and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.^x

¹⁹A loving doe, a graceful deer^y—

may her breasts satisfy you always,

may you ever be intoxicated with her love.

²⁰Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?

Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

²¹For your ways are in full view^z of the Lord,

and he examines^a all your paths.^b

²²The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;^c

the cords of their sins hold them fast.^d

²³For lack of discipline they will die,^e

led astray by their own great folly.^f