Proverbs 3:27-4:19
New King James Version
27 (A)Do not withhold good from [a]those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 (B)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 (C)Do not strive with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
31 (D)Do not envy the oppressor,
And choose none of his ways;
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord,
(E)But His secret counsel is with the upright.
33 (F)The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But (G)He blesses the home of the just.
34 (H)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.
Security in Wisdom
4 Hear, (I)my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
2 For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
3 When I was my father’s son,
(J)Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 (K)He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
(L)Keep my commands, and live.
5 (M)Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
(N)Love her, and she will keep you.
7 (O)Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
8 (P)Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head (Q)an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
(R)And the years of your life will be many.
11 I have (S)taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths.
12 When you walk, (T)your steps will not be hindered,
(U)And when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life.
14 (V)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of evil.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 (W)For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;
And their sleep is [b]taken away unless they make someone fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
18 (X)But the path of the just (Y)is like the shining [c]sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
19 (Z)The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know what makes them stumble.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:27 Lit. its owners
- Proverbs 4:16 Lit. robbed
- Proverbs 4:18 Lit. light
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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