Chapter 3 | |
1 | My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep, |
2 | For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee. |
3 | Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart, |
4 | And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man. |
5 |
Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not. |
6 | In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths. |
7 | Be not wise in thine own eyes, Fear Jehovah, and turn aside from evil. |
8 | Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones. |
9 | Honour Jehovah from thy substance, And from the beginning of all thine increase; |
10 | And filled are thy barns with plenty, And with new wine thy presses break forth. |
11 | Chastisement of Jehovah, my son, despise not, And be not vexed with His reproof, |
12 | For whom Jehovah loveth He reproveth, Even as a father the son He is pleased with. |
13 | O the happiness of a man who hath found wisdom, And of a man who bringeth forth understanding. |
14 | For better is her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold -- her increase. |
15 | Precious she is above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her. |
16 | Length of days is in her right hand, In her left are wealth and honour. |
17 | Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. |
18 | A tree of life she is to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her is happy. |
19 | Jehovah by wisdom did found the earth, He prepared the heavens by understanding. |
20 | By His knowledge depths have been rent, And clouds do drop dew. |
21 |
My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness, |
22 |
And they are life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck. |
23 | Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble. |
24 | If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep. |
25 | Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. |
26 | For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture. |
27 | Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand is toward God to do it. |
28 | Say not thou to thy friend, `Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee. |
29 | Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee. |
30 | Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil. |
31 | Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways. |
32 | For an abomination to Jehovah is the perverted, And with the upright is His secret counsel. |
33 | The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked. And the habitation of the righteous He blesseth. |
34 | If the scorners He doth scorn, Yet to the humble He doth give grace. |
35 | Honour do the wise inherit, And fools are bearing away shame! |