Proverbs 3

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