信靠耶和華

孩子啊,不要忘記我的訓言,
    要把我的誡命存在心裡,
因為這必使你延年益壽,
    幸福平安。
不要讓慈愛和信實離開你,
    要把他們繫在你的頸項上,
    刻在你的心坎上。
這樣,你必蒙上帝和世人的喜悅,
    享有美譽。

你要全心信靠耶和華,
    不可倚靠自己的悟性。
凡事都要尋求祂,
    祂必指引你走正路。
不要自以為有智慧,
    要敬畏耶和華,遠離惡事。
這樣可醫治你的身體,
    滋潤你的筋骨。
你要用自己的財富和一切初熟的物產來尊崇耶和華,
10 祂必使你五穀滿倉,
    榨酒池溢出新釀。
11 孩子啊,不可輕視耶和華的管教,
    也不可厭煩祂的責備。
12 因為耶和華責備祂所愛的人,
    就像父親責備他所疼愛的孩子。
13 找到智慧、得到悟性的人有福了,
14 因為智慧比銀子更有價值,
    比金子更有益處,
15 比珠寶更珍貴;
    你所喜愛的一切都難以相比。
16 智慧的右手有長壽,
    左手有富貴和尊榮。
17 她的路上有福樂,
    她的道上有平安。
18 對持守智慧的人來說,
    智慧是生命樹,
    緊握智慧的人必蒙祝福。
19 耶和華以智慧奠立大地,
    以悟性鋪設諸天;
20 祂的知識使深淵裂開,
    使天上降下甘霖。

21 孩子啊,你要守護智慧和明辨力,
    別讓她們離開你的視線。
22 她們必給你帶來生命,
    作你頸項上華美的裝飾。
23 如此,你必步履穩健,不致失足;
24 你必安然躺臥,睡得香甜。
25 不要怕突來的災禍,
    不要怕惡人遭毀滅,
26 因為耶和華是你的靠山,
    祂使你的腳不陷入網羅。

27 倘若有力量行善,
    就當幫助有需要的人,不要推託。
28 倘若可以幫忙,
    就不可對有求於你的鄰人說:
    「回去吧,明天再來,我必給你!」
29 鄰舍在你附近安分居住,
    不可謀害他。
30 別人若沒有害你,
    不要無故與他相爭。
31 不要羡慕殘暴之徒,
    也不可步其後塵,
32 因為耶和華憎惡邪僻之徒,
    喜愛正直的人。
33 耶和華咒詛惡人的家,
    賜福義人的家。
34 耶和華譏笑好譏誚的人,
    恩待謙卑的人。
35 智者得尊榮,
    愚人受羞辱。

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

My son,(A) do not forget my teaching,(B)
    but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years(C)
    and bring you peace and prosperity.(D)

Let love and faithfulness(E) never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(F)
Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man.(G)

Trust in the Lord(H) with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths(I) straight.[a](J)

Do not be wise in your own eyes;(K)
    fear the Lord(L) and shun evil.(M)
This will bring health to your body(N)
    and nourishment to your bones.(O)

Honor the Lord with your wealth,
    with the firstfruits(P) of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled(Q) to overflowing,
    and your vats will brim over with new wine.(R)

11 My son,(S) do not despise the Lord’s discipline,(T)
    and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,(U)
    as a father the son he delights in.[b](V)

13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
    those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
    and yields better returns than gold.(W)
15 She is more precious than rubies;(X)
    nothing you desire can compare with her.(Y)
16 Long life is in her right hand;(Z)
    in her left hand are riches and honor.(AA)
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
    and all her paths are peace.(AB)
18 She is a tree of life(AC) to those who take hold of her;
    those who hold her fast will be blessed.(AD)

19 By wisdom(AE) the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,(AF)
    by understanding he set the heavens(AG) in place;
20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
    and the clouds let drop the dew.

21 My son,(AH) do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,(AI)
    preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,(AJ)
    an ornament to grace your neck.(AK)
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,(AL)
    and your foot will not stumble.(AM)
24 When you lie down,(AN) you will not be afraid;(AO)
    when you lie down, your sleep(AP) will be sweet.
25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
    or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the Lord will be at your side(AQ)
    and will keep your foot(AR) from being snared.(AS)

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
    when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
    “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
    when you already have it with you.(AT)
29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
    who lives trustfully near you.(AU)
30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
    when they have done you no harm.

31 Do not envy(AV) the violent
    or choose any of their ways.

32 For the Lord detests the perverse(AW)
    but takes the upright into his confidence.(AX)
33 The Lord’s curse(AY) is on the house of the wicked,(AZ)
    but he blesses the home of the righteous.(BA)
34 He mocks(BB) proud mockers(BC)
    but shows favor to the humble(BD) and oppressed.
35 The wise inherit honor,
    but fools get only shame.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:6 Or will direct your paths
  2. Proverbs 3:12 Hebrew; Septuagint loves, / and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child

Beni (my son), forget not my torah; but let thine lev keep my mitzvot;

For orekh yamim (length of days), and shnot chayyim, and shalom, shall they add to thee.

Let not chesed and emes forsake thee; bind them about thy neck; write them upon the luach (tablet) of thine lev;

So shalt thou find chen and seichel tov in the eyes of Elohim and adam.

Trust in Hashem with all thine lev, and lean not unto thine own binah (understanding).

In all thy drakhim acknowledge Him, and He shall make yosher thy orkhot (paths).

Be not chacham in thine own eyes; fear Hashem, and depart from rah.

It shall be rife’ut (health) to thy navel, and marrow to thy atzmot.

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).