Proverbs 3–4

¹My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep, ²For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee. ³Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart, ⁴And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man. ⁵Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not. ⁶In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.

⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil. ⁸Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones. ⁹Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase; ¹⁰And filled are thy barns with plenty, And with new wine thy presses break forth. ¹¹Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof, ¹²For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with.

¹³O the happiness of a man who hath found wisdom, And of a man who bringeth forth understanding. ¹⁴For better is her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold—her increase. ¹⁵Precious she is above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her. ¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand, In her left are wealth and honour. ¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. ¹⁸A tree of life she is to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her is happy. ¹⁹Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding. ²⁰By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew.

²¹My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness, ²²And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck. ²³Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble. ²⁴If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep. ²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. ²⁶For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.

²⁷Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand is toward God to do it. ²⁸Say not thou to thy friend, ‘Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,’ And substance with thee. ²⁹Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee. ³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil. ³¹Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways. ³²For an abomination to Jehovah is the perverted, And with the upright is His secret counsel. ³³The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth. ³⁴If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace. ³⁵Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame!

Chapter 4

¹Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding. ²For good learning I have given to you, My law forsake not. ³For, a son I have been to my father—tender, And an only one before my mother. ⁴And he directeth me, and he saith to me: ‘Let thy heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live. ⁵Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth. ⁶Forsake her not, and she doth preserve thee, Love her, and she doth keep thee. ⁷The first thing is wisdom—get wisdom, And with all thy getting get understanding. ⁸Exalt her, and she doth lift thee up, She honoureth thee, when thou dost embrace her. ⁹She giveth to thy head a wreath of grace, A crown of beauty she doth give thee freely. ¹⁰Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life are multiplied to thee. ¹¹In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness. ¹²In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not. ¹³Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she is thy life.

¹⁴Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers. ¹⁵Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on. ¹⁶For they sleep not if they do not evil, And their sleep hath been taken violently away, If they cause not some to stumble. ¹⁷For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And wine of violence they drink. ¹⁸And the path of the righteous is as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established, ¹⁹The way of the wicked is as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.

²⁰My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear, ²¹Let them not turn aside from thine eyes, Preserve them in the midst of thy heart. ²²For life they are to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing. ²³Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it are the outgoings of life. ²⁴Turn aside from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee, ²⁵Thine eyes do look straightforward, And thine eyelids look straight before thee. ²⁶Ponder thou the path of thy feet, And all thy ways are established. ²⁷Incline not to the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!

Chapter 5