Proverbs 3 (Complete Jewish Bible)

My son, don’t forget my teaching, keep my commands in your heart; for they will add to you many days, years of life and peace. Do not let grace and truth leave you––bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and esteem in the sight of God and of people.

Trust in ADONAI with all your heart; do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him; then he will level your paths. Don’t be conceited about your own wisdom; but fear ADONAI, and turn from evil. This will bring health to your body and give strength to your bones.

Honor ADONAI with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your income. Then your granaries will be filled and your vats overflow with new wine.

My son, don’t despise ADONAI’ s discipline or resent his reproof; for ADONAI corrects those he loves like a father who delights in his son.

Happy the person who finds wisdom, the person who acquires understanding; for her profit exceeds that of silver, gaining her is better than gold, she is more precious than pearls––nothing you want can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand, riches and honor in her left. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who grasp her; whoever holds fast to her will be made happy.

ADONAI by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding he established the heavens, by his knowledge the deep (springs) burst open and the dew condenses from the sky.

My son, don’t let these slip from your sight; preserve common sense and discretion; they will be life for your being and grace for your neck. Then you will walk your way securely, without hurting your foot.

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

Don’t be afraid of sudden terror or destruction caused by the wicked, when it comes; for you can rely on ADONAI; he will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

Don’t withhold good from someone entitled to it when you have in hand the power to do it.

Don’t tell your neighbor, “Go away! Come another time; I’ll give it to you tomorrow, ”when you have it now.

Don’t plan harm against your neighbor who lives beside you trustingly.

Don’t quarrel with someone for no reason, if he has done you no harm.

Don’t envy a man of violence, don’t choose any of his ways; for the perverse is an abomination to ADONAI, but he shares his secret counsel with the upright.

ADONAI’ s curse is in the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. The scornful he scorns, but gives grace to the humble. The wise win honor, but fools win shame.

Proverbs 2 (Complete Jewish Bible)

My son, if you will receive my words and store my commands inside you, paying attention to wisdom inclining your mind toward understanding––yes, if you will call for insight and raise your voice for discernment, if you seek it as you would silver and search for it as for hidden treasure––then you will understand the fear of ADONAI and find knowledge of God.

For ADONAI gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up common sense for the upright, is a shield to those whose conduct is blameless, in order to guard the courses of justice and preserve the way of those faithful to him. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, fairness and every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will be enjoyable for you, discretion will watch over you, and discernment will guard you. They will save you from the way of evil and from those who speak deceitfully, who leave the paths of honesty to walk the ways of darkness, who delight in doing evil and take joy in being stubbornly deceitful, from those whose tracks are twisted and whose paths are perverse.

They will save you from a woman who is a stranger, from a loose woman with smooth talk, who abandons the ruler she had in her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. Her house is sinking toward death, her paths lead to the dead.  None who go to her return; they never regain the path to life.

Thus you will walk on the way of good people and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, the pure–hearted will remain there; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, the unfaithful rooted out of it.

Proverbs 1 (Complete Jewish Bible)

The proverbs of Shlomo the son of David, king of Isra’el, are for learning about wisdom and discipline; for understanding words expressing deep insight; for gaining an intelligently disciplined life, doing what is right, just and fair;  for endowing with caution those who don’t think and the young person with knowledge and discretion.

Someone who is already wise will hear and learn still more; someone who already understands will gain the ability to counsel well; he will understand proverbs, obscure expressions, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

The fear of ADONAI is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

My son, heed the discipline of your father, and do not abandon the teaching of your mother; they will be a garland to grace your head, a medal of honor for your neck.

My son, if sinners entice you, don’t go along with them.  Suppose they say, “Come with us: we’ll ambush somebody and kill him, we’ll waylay some harmless soul, just for fun;  we’ll swallow him alive, like Sh’ol, whole, like those who descend to the pit; we’ll find everything he has of value, we’ll fill our homes with loot! Throw in your lot with us; we’ll share a common purse” –– my son, don’t go along with them, don’t set foot on their path; their feet run to evil, they rush to shed blood.

For in vain is the net baited if any bird can see it; rather, they are ambushing themselves to shed their own blood, waylaying themselves.  So are the ways of all greedy for gain––it takes the lives of those who get it.

Wisdom calls aloud in the open air and raises her voice in the public places; she calls out at streetcorners and speaks out at entrances to city gates:

“How long, you whose lives have no purpose, will you love thoughtless living? How long will scorners find pleasure in mocking? How long will fools hate knowledge? Repent when I reprove––I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make my words known to you. Because you refused when I called, and no one paid attention when I put out my hand, but instead you neglected my counsel and would not accept my reproof; I, in turn, will laugh at your distress, and mock when terror comes over you–– yes, when terror overtakes you like a storm and your disaster approaches like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble assail you.

Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they won’t find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of ADONAI, they refused my counsel and despised my reproof.

So they will bear the consequences of their own way and be overfilled with their own schemes. For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them, and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them; but those who pay attention to me will live securely, untroubled by fear of misfortune.”

Proverbs 5 (Complete Jewish Bible)

1  My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding; 2  so that you will preserve discretion and your lips keep watch over knowledge.

3  For the lips of a woman who is a stranger drop honey, her mouth is smoother than oil; 4  but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double–edged sword. 5  Her feet go down to death, her steps lead straight to Sh’ol; 6  she doesn’t walk the level path of life––her course wanders all over, but she doesn’t know it.

7  So now, children, listen to me; don’t turn away from what I am saying: 8  distance your way from her, stay far from the door of her house; 9  so that you won’t give your vigor to others and your years to someone who is cruel, 10  so strangers won’t be filled with your strength and what you worked for go to a foreign house.

11  Then, when your flesh and bones have shrunk, at the end of your life, you would moan, 12  “How I hated discipline! My whole being despised reproof, 13  I ignored what my teachers said, I didn’t listen to my instructors. 14  I took part in almost every kind of evil, and the whole community knew it.”

15  Drink the water from your own cistern, fresh water from your own well. 16  Let what your springs produce be dispersed outside, streams of water flowing in the streets; 17  but let them be for you alone and not for strangers with you. 18  Let your fountain, the wife of your youth, be blessed; find joy in her––19  a lovely deer, a graceful fawn; let her breasts satisfy you at all times, always be infatuated with her love.

20  My son, why be infatuated with an unknown woman? Why embrace the body of a loose woman? 21  For ADONAI is watching a man’s ways; he surveys all his paths. 22  A wicked person’s own crimes will trap him, he will be held fast by the ropes of his sin. 23  He will die from lack of discipline; the magnitude of his folly will make him totter and fall.

Proverbs 5 (Complete Jewish Bible)

1  My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding; 2  so that you will preserve discretion and your lips keep watch over knowledge. 3  For the lips of a woman who is a stranger drop honey, her mouth is smoother than oil; 4  but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double–edged sword. 5  Her feet go down to death, her steps lead straight to Sh’ol; 6  she doesn’t walk the level path of life––her course wanders all over, but she doesn’t know it.

7  So now, children, listen to me; don’t turn away from what I am saying: 8  distance your way from her, stay far from the door of her house; 9  so that you won’t give your vigor to others and your years to someone who is cruel, 10  so strangers won’t be filled with your strength and what you worked for go to a foreign house.

11  Then, when your flesh and bones have shrunk, at the end of your life, you would moan, 12  “How I hated discipline! My whole being despised reproof, 13  I ignored what my teachers said, I didn’t listen to my instructors. 14  I took part in almost every kind of evil, and the whole community knew it.”

15  Drink the water from your own cistern, fresh water from your own well. 16  Let what your springs produce be dispersed outside, streams of water flowing in the streets; 17  but let them be for you alone and not for strangers with you.

18  Let your fountain, the wife of your youth, be blessed; find joy in her––19  a lovely deer, a graceful fawn; let her breasts satisfy you at all times, always be infatuated with her love.

20  My son, why be infatuated with an unknown woman? Why embrace the body of a loose woman? 21  For ADONAI is watching a man’s ways; he surveys all his paths.

22  A wicked person’s own crimes will trap him, he will be held fast by the ropes of his sin. 23  He will die from lack of discipline; the magnitude of his folly will make him totter and fall.

Proverbs 30 (Amplified Version)

1THE WORDS of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa: The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal:

2Surely I am too brutish and stupid to be called a man, and I have not the understanding of a man [for all my secular learning is as nothing].

3I have not learned skillful and godly Wisdom, that I should have the knowledge or burden of the Holy One.

4Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?

5Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him. 6Add not to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar.

7Two things have I asked of You [O Lord]; deny them not to me before I die:

8Remove far from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9Lest I be full and deny You and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal, and so profane the name of my God.

10Do not accuse and hurt a servant before his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty [of adding to the burdens of the lowly].

11There is a class of people who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.

12There is a class of people who are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their own filth.

13There is a class of people–oh, how lofty are their eyes and their raised eyelids!

14There is a class of people whose teeth are as swords and whose fangs as knives, to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among men.

15The leech has two daughters, crying, Give, give! There are three things that are never satisfied, yes, four that do not say, It is enough:

16Sheol (the place of the dead), the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that says not, It is enough.

17The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young vultures will devour it.

18There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand:

19The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.

20This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, I have done no wickedness.

21Under three things the earth is disquieted, and under four it cannot bear up:

22Under a servant when he reigns, a [empty-headed] fool when he is filled with food, 23An unloved and repugnant woman when she is married, and a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.

24There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

25The ants are a people not strong, yet they lay up their food in the summer; 26The conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks; 27The locusts have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands; 28The lizard you can seize with your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.

29There are three things which are stately in step, yes, four which are stately in their stride:

30The lion, which is mightiest among beasts and turns not back before any; 31The war horse [well-knit in the loins], the male goat also, and the king [when his army is with him and] against whom there is no uprising.

32If you have done foolishly in exalting yourself, or if you have thought evil, lay your hand upon your mouth.

33Surely the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife.

Proverbs 29 (Amplified Version)

1HE WHO, being often reproved, hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed–and that without remedy.

2When the [uncompromisingly] righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.

3Whoever loves skillful and godly Wisdom rejoices his father, but he who associates with harlots wastes his substance.

4The king by justice establishes the land, but he who exacts gifts and tribute overthrows it.

5A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his own feet.

6In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous man sings and rejoices.

7The [consistently] righteous man knows and cares for the rights of the poor, but the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge.

8Scoffers set a city afire [inflaming the minds of the people], but wise men turn away wrath.

9If a wise man has an argument with a foolish man, the fool only rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

10The bloodthirsty hate the blameless man, but the upright care for and seek [to save] his life.

11A [self-confident] fool utters all his anger, but a wise man holds it back and stills it.

12If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will become wicked.

13The poor man and the oppressor meet together–the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.

14The king who faithfully judges the poor, his throne shall be established continuously.

15The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left undisciplined brings his mother to shame.

16When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall see the fall of the wicked.

17Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your heart.

18Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]–blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.

19A servant will not be corrected by words alone; for though he understands, he will not answer [the master who mistreats him].

20Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a [self-confident] fool than for him.

21He who pampers his servant from childhood will have him expecting the rights of a son afterward.

22A man of wrath stirs up strife, and a man given to anger commits and causes much transgression.

23A man’s pride will bring him low, but he who is of a humble spirit will obtain honor.

24Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own life; he falls under the curse [pronounced upon him who knows who the thief is] but discloses nothing.

25The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high.

26Many crave and seek the ruler’s favor, but the wise man [waits] for justice from the Lord.

27An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, and he who is upright in the way [of the Lord] is an abomination to the wicked.

Proverbs 28 (Amplified Version)

1THE WICKED flee when no man pursues them, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous are bold as a lion.

2When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but when the ruler is a man of discernment, understanding, and knowledge, its stability will long continue.

3A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaves no food [plundering them of their last morsels].

4Those who forsake the law [of God and man] praise the wicked, but those who keep the law [of God and man] contend with them.

5Evil men do not understand justice, but they who crave and seek the Lord understand it fully.

6Better is the poor man who walks in his integrity than he who willfully goes in double and wrong ways, though he is rich.

7Whoever keeps the law [of God and man] is a wise son, but he who is a companion of gluttons and the carousing, self-indulgent, and extravagant shames his father.

8He who by charging excessive interest and who by unjust efforts to get gain increases his material possession gathers it for him [to spend] who is kind and generous to the poor.

9He who turns away his ear from hearing the law [of God and man], even his prayer is an abomination, hateful and revolting [to God].

10Whoever leads the upright astray into an evil way, he will himself fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.

11The rich man is wise in his own eyes and conceit, but the poor man who has understanding will find him out.

12When the [uncompromisingly] righteous triumph, there is great glory and celebration; but when the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves.

13He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy.

14Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who reverently and worshipfully fears [the Lord] at all times [regardless of circumstances], but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

15Like a roaring lion or a ravenous and charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

16A ruler who lacks understanding is [like a wicked one] a great oppressor, but he who hates covetousness and unjust gain shall prolong his days.

17If a man willfully sheds the blood of a person [and keeps the guilt of murder upon his conscience], he is fleeing to the pit (the grave) and hastening to his own destruction; let no man stop him!

18He who walks uprightly shall be safe, but he who willfully goes in double and wrong ways shall fall in one of them.

19He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless people and pursuits will have poverty enough.

20A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished.

21To have respect of persons and to show partiality is not good, neither is it good that man should transgress for a piece of bread.

22He who has an evil and covetous eye hastens to be rich and knows not that want will come upon him.

23He who rebukes a man shall afterward find more favor than he who flatters with the tongue.

24Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, This is no sin–he is in the same class as [an open, lawless robber and] a destroyer.

25He who is of a greedy spirit stirs up strife, but he who puts his trust in the Lord shall be enriched and blessed.

26He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.

27He who gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes [from their want] will have many a curse.

28When the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves; but when they perish, the [consistently] righteous increase and become many.

Proverbs 27 (Amplified Version)

1DO NOT boast of [yourself and] tomorrow, for you know not what a day may bring forth. 2Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

3Stone is heavy and sand weighty, but a fool’s [unreasoning] wrath is heavier and more intolerable than both of them.

4Wrath is cruel and anger is an overwhelming flood, but who is able to stand before jealousy?

5Open rebuke is better than love that is hidden.

6Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are lavish and deceitful.

7He who is satiated [with sensual pleasures] loathes and treads underfoot a honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

8Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who strays from his home.

9Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart.

10Your own friend and your father’s friend, forsake them not; neither go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near [in spirit] than a brother who is far off [in heart].

11My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me [as having failed in my parental duty].

12A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished [with suffering].

13[The judge tells the creditor] Take the garment of one who is security for a stranger; and hold him in pledge when he is security for foreigners.

14The flatterer who loudly praises and glorifies his neighbor, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted as cursing him [for he will be suspected of sinister purposes].

15A continual dripping on a day of violent showers and a contentious woman are alike;

16Whoever attempts to restrain [a contentious woman] might as well try to stop the wind–his right hand encounters oil [and she slips through his fingers].

17Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose].

18Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit; so he who patiently and faithfully guards and heeds his master shall be honored.

19As in water face answers to and reflects face, so the heart of man to man.

20Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the place of destruction) are never satisfied; so [the lust of] the eyes of man is never satisfied.

21As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold [bring forth all the impurities of the metal], so let a man be in his trial of praise [ridding himself of all that is base or insincere; for a man is judged by what he praises and of what he boasts].

22Even though like grain you should pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

23Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds;

24For riches are not forever; does a crown endure to all generations?

25When the hay is gone, the tender grass shows itself, and herbs of the mountain are gathered in,

26The lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats [will furnish you] the price of a field.

27And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and for the maintenance of your maids.

Proverbs 26 (Amplified Version)

1LIKE SNOW in summer and like rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a [self-confident] fool.

2Like the sparrow in her wandering, like the swallow in her flying, so the causeless curse does not alight.

3A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a [straight, slender] rod for the backs of [self-confident] fools.

4Answer not a [self-confident] fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.

5Answer a [self-confident] fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes and conceit.

6He who sends a message by the hand of a [a]fool cuts off the feet [of satisfactory delivery] and drinks the damage.

7Like the legs of a lame man which hang loose, so is a parable in the mouth of a fool.

8Like he who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a [self-confident] fool.

9Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man, so is a proverb in the mouth of a [self-confident] fool.

10[But] like an archer who wounds all, so is he who hires a fool or chance passers-by.

11As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly.

12Do you see a man wise in his own eyes and conceit? There is more hope for a [self-confident] fool than for him.

13The sluggard says, There is a lion in the way! A lion is in the streets!

14As the door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man [move not from his place] upon his bed.

15The slothful and self-indulgent buries his hand in his bosom; it distresses and wearies him to bring it again to his mouth.

16The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes and conceit than seven men who can render a reason and answer discreetly.

17He who, passing by, stops to meddle with strife that is none of his business is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

18Like a madman who casts firebrands, arrows, and death,

19So is the man who deceives his neighbor and then says, Was I not joking?

20For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention ceases.

21As coals are to hot embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man to inflame strife.

22The words of a whisperer or slanderer are like dainty morsels or words of sport [to some, but to others are like deadly wounds]; and they go down into the innermost parts of the body [or of the victim's nature].

23Burning lips [uttering insincere words of love] and a wicked heart are like an earthen vessel covered with the scum thrown off from molten silver [making it appear to be solid silver].

24He who hates pretends with his lips, but stores up deceit within himself.

25When he speaks kindly, do not trust him, for seven abominations are in his heart.

26Though his hatred covers itself with guile, his wickedness shall be shown openly before the assembly.

27Whoever digs a pit [for another man's feet] shall fall into it himself, and he who rolls a stone [up a height to do mischief], it will return upon him.

28A lying tongue hates those it wounds and crushes, and a flattering mouth works ruin.