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
Proverbs 3
King James Version
3 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous.
33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Proverbs 3
Living Bible
3 1-2 My son, never forget the things I’ve taught you. If you want a long and satisfying life, closely follow my instructions. 3 Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart. 4-5 If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. 6 In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.
7-8 Don’t be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality.
9-10 Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines.
11-12 Young man, do not resent it when God chastens and corrects you, for his punishment is proof of his love. Just as a father punishes a son he delights in to make him better, so the Lord corrects you.
13-15 The man who knows right from wrong[a] and has good judgment and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely rich! For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious jewels. Nothing else compares with it. 16-17 Wisdom gives: a long, good life, riches, honor, pleasure, peace. 18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit; happy is the man who keeps on eating it.
19 The Lord’s wisdom founded the earth; his understanding established all the universe and space. 20 The deep fountains of the earth were broken open by his knowledge, and the skies poured down rain.
21 Have two goals: wisdom—that is, knowing and doing right—and common sense. Don’t let them slip away, 22 for they fill you with living energy and bring you honor and respect.[b] 23 They keep you safe from defeat and disaster and from stumbling off the trail. 24-26 With them on guard you can sleep without fear; you need not be afraid of disaster or the plots of wicked men, for the Lord is with you; he protects you.
27-28 Don’t withhold repayment of your debts. Don’t say “some other time,” if you can pay now. 29 Don’t plot against your neighbor; he is trusting you. 30 Don’t get into needless fights. 31 Don’t envy violent men. Don’t copy their ways. 32 For such men are an abomination to the Lord, but he gives his friendship to the godly.
33 The curse of God is on the wicked, but his blessing is on the upright. 34 The Lord mocks at mockers, but helps the humble. 35 The wise are promoted to honor, but fools are promoted to shame!
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:13 The man who knows right from wrong, literally, “The man who finds wisdom.”
- Proverbs 3:22 bring you honor and respect, literally, “be an ornament to your neck.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.