ASV - Proverbs Chapter 3 to 4

3 Proverbs 3

¹My son, forget not my law; But let thy heart keep my commandments: ²For length of days, and years of life, And peace, will they add to thee. ³Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart: ⁴So shalt thou find favor and good understanding In the sight of God and man. ⁵Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. ⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil: ⁸It will be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones. ⁹Honor Jehovah with thy substance, And with the first-fruits of all thine increase: ¹⁰So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy vats shall overflow with new wine. ¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of Jehovah; Neither be weary of his reproof: ¹²For whom Jehovah loveth he reproveth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

¹³Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding. ¹⁴For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, And the profit thereof than fine gold. ¹⁵She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her. ¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. ¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. ¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her. ¹⁹Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens. ²⁰By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew. ²¹My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion: ²²So shall they be life unto thy soul, And grace to thy neck. ²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble. ²⁴When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. ²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh: ²⁶For Jehovah will be thy confidence, And will keep thy foot from being taken.

²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thy hand to do it. ²⁸Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give; When thou hast it by thee. ²⁹Devise not evil against thy neighbor, Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. ³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, If he have done thee no harm. ³¹Envy thou not the man of violence, And choose none of his ways. ³²For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; But his friendship is with the upright. ³³The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous. ³⁴Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers; But he giveth grace unto the lowly. ³⁵The wise shall inherit glory; But shame shall be the promotion of fools.

4 Proverbs 4

¹Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: ²For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law. ³For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. ⁴And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live; ⁵Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; ⁶Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee. ⁷Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding. ⁸Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. ⁹She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; A crown of beauty will she deliver to thee.

¹⁰Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many. ¹¹I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness. ¹²When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. ¹³Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life. ¹⁴Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men. ¹⁵Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on. ¹⁶For they sleep not, except they do evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. ¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. ¹⁸But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. ¹⁹The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble.

²⁰My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. ²¹Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. ²²For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. ²³Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. ²⁴Put away from thee a wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee. ²⁵Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. ²⁶Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. ²⁷Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil.