CHAPTER 3
1 My son, forget thou not my law; and thine heart keep my command-ments.
2 For they shall set to thee the length of days, and the years of life, and peace.
3 Mercy and truth forsake thee not; bind thou those to thy throat, and write them in the tables of thine heart.
4 And thou shalt find grace, and good teaching before God and men.
5 Have thou trust in the Lord, of all thine heart; and lean thou not to thy prudence.
6 In all thy ways think on him, and he shall dress thy goings.
7 Be thou not wise with thyself; dread thou God, and go away from evil.
8 For why health shall be in thy navel, and moisting of thy bones.
9 Honour thou the Lord of thy chattel [or substance], and of the best of all thy fruits give thou to poor men;
10 and thy barns shall be filled with abundance, and thy pressers [or presses] shall flow with wine.
11 My son, cast thou not away the teaching of the Lord; and fail thou not, when thou art chastised of him.
12 For the Lord chastiseth him, whom he loveth; and as a father in the son he pleaseth him.
13 Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and that floweth with prudence.
14 The getting thereof is better than the merchandise [or chaffering] of gold and of silver; the fruits thereof be the first and the cleanest.
15 It is more precious than all riches; and all things that be desired, may not be comparisoned to this.
16 Length of days is in the right half thereof, and riches and glory be in the left half thereof.
17 The ways thereof be fair ways, and all the paths thereof be peaceable.
18 It is a tree of life to them that take it; and he that holdeth it, is blessed.
19 The Lord founded the earth by wisdom; he stablished heavens by prudence.
20 The depths of waters brake out by his wisdom; and clouds waxed alto-gether with dew.
21 My son, these things float not away [or not flow away] from thine eyes; keep thou my law, and my counsel;
22 and life shall be to thy soul, and grace to thy cheeks.
23 Then thou shalt go trustily in thy way; and thy foot shall not stumble.
24 If thou shalt sleep, thou shalt not dread; thou shalt rest, and thy sleep shall be soft [or and sweet shall be thy sleep].
25 Dread thou not of sudden fear, and the powers of wicked men falling in on thee.
26 For the Lord shall be at thy side; and he shall keep thy foot, that thou be not taken.
27 Do not thou forbid to do well him that may; if thou mayest, also do thou well.
28 Say thou not to thy friend, Go, and turn again, and tomorrow I shall give to thee; when thou mayest give anon.
29 Imagine thou not evil to thy friend, when he hath trust in thee.
30 Strive thou not against a man without cause, when he doeth none evil to thee.
31 Pursue thou not an unjust [or unrightwise] man, pursue [or follow] thou not his ways.
32 For each deceiver is abomination to the Lord; and his speaking is with simple men.
33 Neediness is sent of the Lord in the house of a wicked man; but the dwelling places of just [or rightwise] men shall be blessed.
34 He shall scorn [the] scorners; and he shall give grace to mild men.
35 Wise men shall have glory; [the] enhancing of fools is shame.