Proverbs 3:1-11:17

English Standard Version

³ Let not ^(E)steadfast love and ^(F)faithfulness forsake you;
    ^(G)bind them around your neck;
    ^(H)write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So you will ^(I)find favor and ^(J)good success^[a]
    in the sight of God and man.

^5 (K)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and ^(L)do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways ^(M)acknowledge him,
    and he ^(N)will make straight your paths.
^7 (O)Be not wise in your own eyes;
    ^(P)fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be ^(Q)healing to your flesh^[b]
    and ^(R)refreshment^[c] to your bones.

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with ^(S)the firstfruits of all your produce;
¹⁰ then your ^(T)barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will be bursting with wine.

^11 (U)My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
¹² for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
    as ^(V)a father the son in whom he delights.

^19 (AG)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
    by understanding ^(AH)he established the heavens;
²⁰ by his knowledge ^(AI)the deeps broke open,
    and ^(AJ)the clouds drop down the dew.

²¹ My son, ^(AK)do not lose sight of these—
    keep sound wisdom and discretion,
²² and they will be ^(AL)life for your soul
    and ^(AM)adornment for your neck.
^23 (AN)Then you will walk on your way securely,
    ^(AO)and your foot will not stumble.
^24 (AP)If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, ^(AQ)your sleep will be sweet.
^25 (AR)Do not be afraid of sudden terror
    or of ^(AS)the ruin^[d] of the wicked, when it comes,
²⁶ for the Lord will be your confidence
    and will ^(AT)keep your foot from being caught.
^27 (AU)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,^[e]
    when it is in your power to do it.

^28 (AV)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
    tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
^29 (AW)Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
    who ^(AX)dwells trustingly beside you.
^30 (AY)Do not contend with a man for no reason,
    when he has done you no harm.
^31 (AZ)Do not envy ^(BA)a man of violence
    and do not choose any of his ways,
³² for ^(BB)the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the upright are ^(BC)in his confidence.
^33 (BD)The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he ^(BE)blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴ Toward the ^(BF)scorners he ^(BG)is scornful,
    ^(BH)but to the humble he gives favor.^[f]
35 The wise will inherit honor,
    but fools get^[g] disgrace.

^10 (BY)Hear, ^(BZ)my son, and accept my words,
    that ^(CA)the years of your life may be many.
¹¹ I have ^(CB)taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹² When you walk, ^(CC)your step will not be hampered,
    and ^(CD)if you run, you will not stumble.
^13 (CE)Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your ^(CF)life.
^14 (CG)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
¹⁵ Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶ For they ^(CH)cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness
    ^(CI)and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸ But ^(CJ)the path of the righteous is like ^(CK)the light of dawn,
    which shines ^(CL)brighter and brighter until ^(CM)full day.
^19 (CN)The way of the wicked is like deep ^(CO)darkness;
    they do not know over what they ^(CP)stumble.

^20 (CQ)My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.
^21 (CR)Let them not escape from your sight;
    ^(CS)keep them within your heart.
²² For they are ^(CT)life to those who find them,
    and healing to all their^[i] flesh.
²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for ^(CU)from it flow ^(CV)the springs of life.
²⁴ Put away from you ^(CW)crooked speech,
    and put ^(CX)devious talk far from you.
^25 (CY)Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
^26 (CZ)Ponder^[j] the path of your feet;
    ^(DA)then all your ways will be sure.
^27 (DB)Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.

⁷ And ^(DO)now, O sons, listen to me,
    and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
⁸ Keep your way far from her,
    and do not go near the door of her house,
⁹ lest you give your honor to others
    and your years to the merciless,
¹⁰ lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
    and your ^(DP)labors go to the house of a foreigner,
¹¹ and at the end of your life you ^(DQ)groan,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
¹² and you say, ^(DR)“How I hated discipline,
    and my heart ^(DS)despised reproof!
¹³ I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
    or incline my ear to my instructors.
^14 (DT)I am at the brink of utter ruin
    in the assembled congregation.”

¹⁵ Drink ^(DU)water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
¹⁶ Should your ^(DV)springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water ^(DW)in the streets?
^17 (DX)Let them be for yourself alone,
    and not for strangers with you.
¹⁸ Let your ^(DY)fountain be blessed,
    and ^(DZ)rejoice in ^(EA)the wife of your youth,
¹⁹     a lovely ^(EB)deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts ^(EC)fill you at all times with delight;
    be intoxicated^[n] always in her love.
²⁰ Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with ^(ED)a forbidden woman
    and embrace the bosom of ^(EE)an adulteress?^[o]
21 For ^(EF)a man's ways are ^(EG)before the eyes of the Lord,
    and he ^(EH)ponders^[p] all his paths.
²² The ^(EI)iniquities of the wicked ^(EJ)ensnare him,
    and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
^23 (EK)He dies for lack of discipline,
    and because of his great folly he is ^(EL)led astray.

^6 (ES)Go to ^(ET)the ant, O ^(EU)sluggard;
    consider her ways, and ^(EV)be wise.
^7 (EW)Without having any chief,
    ^(EX)officer, or ruler,
⁸ she prepares her bread ^(EY)in summer
    and ^(EZ)gathers her food in harvest.
^9 (FA)How long will you lie there, ^(FB)O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
^10 (FC)A little sleep, a little slumber,
    ^(FD)a little ^(FE)folding of the hands to rest,
^11 (FF)and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

^12 (FG)A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with ^(FH)crooked speech,
^13 (FI)winks with his eyes, signals^[s] with his feet,
    points with his finger,
¹⁴ with ^(FJ)perverted heart ^(FK)devises evil,
    continually ^(FL)sowing discord;
¹⁵ therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
    ^(FM)in a moment he will be broken ^(FN)beyond healing.

¹⁶ There are ^(FO)six things that the Lord hates,
    ^(FP)seven that are an abomination to him:
^17 (FQ)haughty eyes, ^(FR)a lying tongue,
    and ^(FS)hands that shed innocent blood,
^18 (FT)a heart that devises wicked plans,
    ^(FU)feet that make haste to run to evil,
^19 (FV)a false witness who ^(FW)breathes out lies,
    and one who ^(FX)sows discord among brothers.

⁶ For at ^(HE)the window of my house
    I have looked out through my lattice,
⁷ and I have seen among ^(HF)the simple,
    I have perceived among the youths,
    a young man ^(HG)lacking sense,
⁸ passing along the street ^(HH)near her corner,
    taking the road to her house
⁹ in ^(HI)the twilight, in the evening,
    at ^(HJ)the time of night and darkness.

¹⁰ And behold, the woman meets him,
    ^(HK)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.^[aa]
11 She is ^(HL)loud and ^(HM)wayward;
    ^(HN)her feet do not stay at home;
¹² now in the street, now in the market,
    and ^(HO)at every corner she ^(HP)lies in wait.
¹³ She seizes him and kisses him,
    and with ^(HQ)bold face she says to him,
¹⁴ “I had to ^(HR)offer sacrifices,^[ab]
    and today I have ^(HS)paid my vows;
¹⁵ so now I have come out to meet you,
    to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
¹⁶ I have spread my couch with ^(HT)coverings,
    colored linens from ^(HU)Egyptian linen;
¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed with ^(HV)myrrh,
    aloes, and ^(HW)cinnamon.
¹⁸ Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
    let us delight ourselves with love.
¹⁹ For ^(HX)my husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey;
²⁰ he took a bag of money with him;
    at full moon he will come home.”

²¹ With much seductive speech she persuades him;
    with ^(HY)her smooth talk she compels him.
²² All at once he follows her,
    as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast^[ac]
23     till an arrow pierces its liver;
as ^(HZ)a bird rushes into a snare;
    he does not know that it will cost him his life.

²⁴ And ^(IA)now, O sons, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
²⁵ Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths,
²⁶ for many a victim has she laid low,
    and all her slain are ^(IB)a mighty throng.
²⁷ Her house is ^(IC)the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.

¹² “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and ^(IV)discretion.
^13 (IW)The fear of the Lord is ^(IX)hatred of evil.
^(IY)Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
    and ^(IZ)perverted speech I hate.
¹⁴ I have ^(JA)counsel and ^(JB)sound wisdom;
    I have insight; ^(JC)I have strength.
¹⁵ By me ^(JD)kings reign,
    and rulers decree what is just;
¹⁶ by me princes rule,
    and nobles, all who govern justly.^{[ad]
17 (JE)}I love those who love me,
    and ^(JF)those who seek me diligently find me.
^18 (JG)Riches and honor are with me,
    ^(JH)enduring wealth and ^(JI)righteousness.
¹⁹ My fruit is ^(JJ)better than ^(JK)gold, even fine gold,
    and my yield than ^(JL)choice silver.
²⁰ I walk in the way of righteousness,
    in the paths of justice,
²¹ granting an inheritance to those who love me,
    and filling their treasuries.

^22 (JM)“The Lord ^(JN)possessed^[ae] me at the beginning of his work,^[af]
    the first of his acts ^(JO)of old.
²³ Ages ago I was ^(JP)set up,
    at the first, ^(JQ)before the beginning of the earth.
²⁴ When there were no ^(JR)depths I was ^(JS)brought forth,
    when there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵ Before the mountains ^(JT)had been shaped,
    ^(JU)before the hills, I was brought forth,
²⁶ before he had made the earth with its fields,
    or the first of the dust of the world.
²⁷ When he ^(JV)established the heavens, I was there;
    when he drew ^(JW)a circle on the face of the deep,
²⁸ when he ^(JX)made firm the skies above,
    when he established^[ag] the fountains of the deep,
²⁹ when he ^(JY)assigned to the sea its ^(JZ)limit,
    so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out ^(KA)the foundations of the earth,
³⁰     then ^(KB)I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his^{[ah] (KC)}delight,
    rejoicing before him always,
^31 (KD)rejoicing in his ^(KE)inhabited world
    and delighting in the children of man.

³² “And now, ^(KF)O sons, listen to me:
    ^(KG)blessed are those who keep my ways.
^33 (KH)Hear instruction and be wise,
    and do not neglect it.
^34 (KI)Blessed is the one who listens to me,
    watching daily at my gates,
    waiting beside my doors.
³⁵ For ^(KJ)whoever finds me ^(KK)finds life
    and ^(KL)obtains favor from the Lord,
³⁶ but he who fails to find me ^(KM)injures himself;
    all who ^(KN)hate me ^(KO)love death.”

⁷ Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
    and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
^8 (LG)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
    ^(LH)reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
⁹ Give instruction^[aj] to a wise man, and he will be ^(LI)still wiser;
    teach a righteous man, and he will ^(LJ)increase in learning.
^10 (LK)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and ^(LL)the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
¹¹ For by me ^(LM)your days will be multiplied,
    and years will be added to your life.
^12 (LN)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
    if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

^(LY)A wise son makes a glad father,
    ^(LZ)but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
^2 (MA)Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
    ^(MB)but righteousness delivers from death.
^3 (MC)The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
    ^(MD)but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
⁴ A slack hand ^(ME)causes poverty,
    ^(MF)but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
⁵ He who ^(MG)gathers in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps in harvest is ^(MH)a son who brings shame.
⁶ Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
    but ^(MI)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.^[am]
7 (MJ)The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
    but ^(MK)the name of the wicked will rot.
^8 (ML)The wise of heart will receive commandments,
    but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
^9 (MM)Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but he who makes his ways crooked ^(MN)will be found out.
¹⁰ Whoever ^(MO)winks the eye causes trouble,
    and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
^11 (MP)The mouth of the righteous is ^(MQ)a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked ^(MR)conceals violence.
¹² Hatred stirs up strife,
    but ^(MS)love covers all offenses.
¹³ On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
    but ^(MT)a rod is for the back of him who ^(MU)lacks sense.
¹⁴ The wise ^(MV)lay up knowledge,
    but ^(MW)the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
^15 (MX)A rich man's wealth is his strong city;
    the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
¹⁶ The wage of the righteous leads ^(MY)to life,
    the gain of the wicked to sin.
¹⁷ Whoever heeds instruction is on ^(MZ)the path to life,
    but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
¹⁸ The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
    and whoever utters slander is a fool.
^19 (NA)When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
    ^(NB)but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
²⁰ The tongue of the righteous is ^(NC)choice silver;
    the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
²¹ The lips of the righteous feed many,
    but fools die for ^(ND)lack of sense.
^22 (NE)The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
    and he adds no sorrow with it.^[an]
23 Doing wrong is ^(NF)like a joke to a fool,
    but ^(NG)wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
^24 (NH)What the wicked dreads ^(NI)will come upon him,
    but ^(NJ)the desire of the righteous will be granted.
²⁵ When ^(NK)the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
    but ^(NL)the righteous is established forever.
²⁶ Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.
^27 (NM)The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
    ^(NN)but the years of the wicked will be short.
^28 (NO)The hope of the righteous brings joy,
    ^(NP)but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
^29 (NQ)The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,
    but destruction to evildoers.
^30 (NR)The righteous will never be removed,
    but ^(NS)the wicked will not dwell in the land.
^31 (NT)The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
    but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
³² The lips of the righteous ^(NU)know what is acceptable,
    but the mouth of the wicked, ^(NV)what is perverse.
11 ^(NW)A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
    ^(NX)but a just weight is his delight.
^2 (NY)When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with ^(NZ)the humble is wisdom.
^3 (OA)The integrity of the upright guides them,
    ^(OB)but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
^4 (OC)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
    ^(OD)but righteousness delivers from death.
⁵ The righteousness of the blameless ^(OE)keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
^6 (OF)The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the treacherous ^(OG)are taken captive by their lust.
⁷ When the wicked dies, his ^(OH)hope will perish,
    and ^(OI)the expectation of wealth^[ao] perishes too.
^8 (OJ)The righteous is delivered from trouble,
    and the wicked walks into it instead.
⁹ With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
    but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
^10 (OK)When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
    and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
¹¹ By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
    but ^(OL)by the mouth of the wicked ^(OM)it is overthrown.
¹² Whoever ^(ON)belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
    but a man of understanding remains silent.
¹³ Whoever ^(OO)goes about slandering reveals secrets,
    but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
¹⁴ Where there is ^(OP)no guidance, a people falls,
    ^(OQ)but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
^15 (OR)Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,
    but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.
^16 (OS)A gracious woman gets honor,
    and ^(OT)violent men get riches.
^17 (OU)A man who is kind benefits himself,
    but a cruel man hurts himself.