Proverbs 3, side by side

¹My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;

¹My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

²for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life.

²For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

³Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

³Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

⁴Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man.

⁴So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

⁵Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

⁷Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

⁸This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.

⁸It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

⁹Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;

⁹Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

¹⁰then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

¹⁰So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

¹¹My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke;

¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

¹²for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.

¹²For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

¹³Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding,

¹³Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.

¹⁴For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

¹⁶Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.

¹⁷All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful.

¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

¹⁹The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.

¹⁹The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

²⁰By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew.

²⁰By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

²¹My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

²¹My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

²²They will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck.

²²So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

²³Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.

²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

²⁴When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

²⁴When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

²⁵Do not fear sudden danger or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

²⁶for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare.

²⁶For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

²⁷Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act.

²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

²⁸Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”— when you already have the means.

²⁸Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

²⁹Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he trustfully dwells beside you.

²⁹Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

³⁰Do not accuse a man without cause, when he has done you no harm.

³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

³¹Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;

³¹Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

³²for the LORD detests the perverse, but He is a friend to the upright.

³²For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.

³³The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous.

³³The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

³⁴He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble.

³⁴Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

³⁵The wise will inherit honor, but fools are held up to shame.

³⁵The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.