Proverbs 3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Admonition to Trust and Honor God
3 My child, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,(A)
2 for length of days and years of life
and abundant welfare they will give you.(B)
3 Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
4 Then you will find favor and high regard
in the sight of God and of people.(D)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.(E)
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.(F)
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.(G)
8 It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.(H)
9 Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;(I)
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,(J)
12 for the Lord reproves the one he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.(K)
The True Wealth
13 Happy are those who find wisdom
and those who get understanding,
14 for her income is better than silver
and her revenue better than gold.(L)
15 She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.(M)
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.(N)
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.(O)
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy.(P)
God’s Wisdom in Creation
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;(Q)
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.(R)
The True Security
21 My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.(S)
23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.(T)
24 If you sit down,[a] you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Then you will not be afraid of sudden panic
or of the storm that strikes the wicked,(U)
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,[b]
when it is in your power to do it.(V)
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go and come again;
tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you.(W)
29 Do not plan harm against your neighbor
who lives trustingly beside you.(X)
30 Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.(Y)
31 Do not envy the violent,
and do not choose any of their ways,(Z)
32 for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.(AA)
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous.(AB)
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.(AC)
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace.
Proverbs 3
Evangelical Heritage Version
Third Address to a Son:
Wisdom Leads to the Lord’s Blessing
3 My son, do not forget my teaching.
Let your heart keep my commands,
2 because they will add long days and many years to your life,
and peace and prosperity[a] will come to you.
3 Do not allow mercy and truth to leave you.
Fasten them around your neck.
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will find favor and approval[b]
in the eyes of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not consider yourself wise.
Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 Then your body[c] will be healed,
and your bones will be refreshed.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits from your entire harvest.
10 Then your barns will be filled to capacity,
and your wine vats will overflow with fresh wine.
11 Do not reject the Lord’s discipline, my son,
and do not despise his warning,
12 because the Lord warns[d] the one he loves
as a father warns a son with whom he is pleased.
13 How blessed is the person who finds wisdom,[e]
the person who acquires understanding,
14 because the profit it gives is better than the profit from silver,
and its yield is better than gold!
15 It is more valuable than gems,[f]
and nothing you desire can equal it.
16 In its right hand are the days of a long life.
In its left hand are riches and honor.
17 Its ways are pleasant ways,
and all its paths are peace.
18 It is a tree of life for those who hold on to it.
Those who cling to it are blessed.
19 The Lord founded the earth by wisdom.
He established the heavens by understanding.
20 By his knowledge the deep waters were divided,
and the clouds drip dew.
21 My son, do not take your eyes off these things.
Guard sound judgment and insight.
22 They will be life for your soul
and grace to adorn your neck.
23 Then you will walk safely on your way,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid.
When you lie down, your sleep will be pleasant.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
nor of the destruction of the wicked when it comes,
26 because the Lord will be your confidence.
He will keep your foot from being caught.
Fourth Address to a Son:
Practice Wisdom Toward Your Neighbor
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due
when it is within your power to give it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go away! Come back some other time.
I will give something to you tomorrow,”
when in fact it is already with you right now.
29 Do not plan harm against your neighbor
when he is living with you peacefully.
30 Do not quarrel with a person for no good reason
when he has done nothing to harm you.
31 Do not envy a violent person.
Do not choose any of his ways,
32 because a crooked person is an abomination[g] to the Lord,
but God’s friendly guidance leads[h] the upright.
33 The Lord’s curse rests on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.
34 Although he scorns the scornful,
he gives grace to the humble.
35 Wise people inherit honor,
but proud fools receive disgrace.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:2 The Hebrew word shalom here contains both meanings.
- Proverbs 3:4 Literally good understanding
- Proverbs 3:8 Literally navel
- Proverbs 3:12 Or disciplines
- Proverbs 3:13 Or Wisdom. An issue throughout Proverbs 1-9 is when wisdom should be capitalized as the personal name of Lady Wisdom and when it is the common noun. Most translations do not capitalize wisdom in verses like verse 13 because of the parallelism with understanding. This decision also determines whether the English pronouns should be she or it. In Hebrew the noun for wisdom is feminine, so the pronouns in Hebrew are always feminine.
- Proverbs 3:15 The meaning of this word is uncertain. It may refer to a specific gemstone, such as rubies or red coral.
- Proverbs 3:32 Or is disgusting or is repulsive
- Proverbs 3:32 Or intimate counsel guides
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.