Proverbs 3
New King James Version
Guidance for the Young
3 My son, do not forget my law,
(A)But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And (B)peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
(C)Bind them around your neck,
(D)Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 (E)And so find favor and [a]high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
5 (F)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
(G)And lean not on your own understanding;
6 (H)In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall [b]direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own (I)eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your [c]flesh,
And (J)strength[d] to your bones.
9 (K)Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 (L)So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 (M)My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
(N)Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
13 (O)Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
14 (P)For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
And (Q)all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 (R)Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
17 (S)Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is (T)a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who [e]retain her.
19 (U)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were (V)broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul
And grace to your neck.
23 (W)Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
25 (X)Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.
27 (Y)Do not withhold good from [f]those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 (Z)Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.
30 (AA)Do not strive with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
31 (AB)Do not envy the oppressor,
And choose none of his ways;
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord,
(AC)But His secret counsel is with the upright.
33 (AD)The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But (AE)He blesses the home of the just.
34 (AF)Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:4 Lit. good understanding
- Proverbs 3:6 Or make smooth or straight
- Proverbs 3:8 Body, lit. navel
- Proverbs 3:8 Lit. drink
- Proverbs 3:18 hold her fast
- Proverbs 3:27 Lit. its owners
Mishle 3
Orthodox Jewish Bible
3 Beni (my son), forget not my torah; but let thine lev keep my mitzvot;
2 For orekh yamim (length of days), and shnot chayyim, and shalom, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not chesed and emes forsake thee; bind them about thy neck; write them upon the luach (tablet) of thine lev;
4 So shalt thou find chen and seichel tov in the eyes of Elohim and adam.
5 Trust in Hashem with all thine lev, and lean not unto thine own binah (understanding).
6 In all thy drakhim acknowledge Him, and He shall make yosher thy orkhot (paths).
7 Be not chacham in thine own eyes; fear Hashem, and depart from rah.
8 It shall be rife’ut (health) to thy navel, and marrow to thy atzmot.
9 Honor Hashem with thy substance, and with the reshit (firstfruit) of all thine increase;
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall burst out with tirosh.
11 Beni (my son), despise not the musar Hashem; neither be weary of His tokhakhah (reproof);
12 For whom Hashem loveth, He correcteth; even as an av the ben in whom he delighteth.
13 Ashrei (happy) is the man that findeth chochmah, and the man that getteth tevunah (understanding).
14 For the gain of it is better than the gain of kesef, and the increase thereof than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than peninim (pearls); and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16 Orekh yamim is in her right hand; and in her left hand osher and kavod.
17 Her drakhim are drakhim of pleasantness, and all her netivot (trodden paths) are shalom.
18 She is an Etz Chayyim (Tree of Life) to them that lay hold upon her; and me’usher (blessed) is every one that holdeth her fast.
19 Hashem by chochmah hath founded Eretz (Earth); by tevunah (understanding) hath He established Shomayim.
20 By His da’as (knowledge) the tehomot (oceanic depths) were divided, and the clouds drop down the tal (dew).
21 Beni (my son), let not them depart from thine eyes; keep sound judgment and mezimah (discretion);
22 So shall they be chayyim unto thy nefesh, and chen to thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy derech safely, and thy regel shall not stumble.
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; when thou liest down, thy sheynah (sleep) shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden pachad (terror), neither of the desolation of the resha’im (wicked ones), when it cometh.
26 For Hashem shall be thy confidence, and shall be shomer over thy regel from the snare.
27 Withhold not tov from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine yad to do it.
28 Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and makhar (tomorrow) I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
29 Devise not ra’ah against thy re’a, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Strive not with adam without cause, if he have done thee no ra’ah.
31 Envy thou not the ish chamas, and choose none of his drakhim.
32 For the perverse person is to’avat (detestable) to Hashem; but His sod (secret, intimate counsel) is with the yesharim (upright ones).
33 The curse of Hashem is in the bais of the rasha; but He puts a bracha on the dwelling of the tzaddikim.
34 Surely He scorneth the scorners; but He giveth chen (grace, favor) unto the anayim (lowly, humble ones).
35 The chachamim shall inherit kavod, but shame shall be the promotion of kesilim (fools).
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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