Proverbs 3

International Children’s Bible

³ Don’t ever stop being kind and truthful.
    Let kindness and truth show in all you do.
    Write them down in your mind as if on a tablet.
⁴ Then you will be respected
    and pleasing to both God and men.

⁵ Trust the Lord with all your heart.
    Don’t depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Remember the Lord in everything you do.
    And he will give you success.

⁷ Don’t depend on your own wisdom.
    Respect the Lord and refuse to do wrong.
⁸ Then your body will be healthy.
    And your bones will be strong.

⁹ Honor the Lord by giving him part of your wealth.
    Give him the firstfruits from all your crops.
¹⁰ Then your barns will be full.
    And your wine barrels will overflow with new wine.

¹¹ My child, do not reject the Lord’s discipline.
    And don’t become angry when he corrects you.
¹² The Lord corrects those he loves,
    just as a father corrects the child that he likes.

¹³ Happy is the person who finds wisdom.
    And happy is the person who gets understanding.
¹⁴ Wisdom is worth more than silver.
    It brings more profit than gold.
¹⁵ Wisdom is more precious than rubies.
    Nothing you want is equal to it.
¹⁶ With her right hand wisdom offers you a long life.
    With her left hand she gives you riches and honor.
¹⁷ Wisdom will make your life pleasant.
    It will bring you peace.
¹⁸ As a tree makes fruit, wisdom gives life to those who use it.
    Everyone who uses wisdom will be happy.

¹⁹ Using his wisdom, the Lord made the earth.
    Using his understanding, he set the sky in place.
²⁰ Using his knowledge, he made rivers flow from underground springs.
    And he made the clouds drop rain on the earth.

²¹ My child, hold on to wisdom and reason.
    Don’t let them out of your sight!
²² They will give you life.
    Like a necklace, they will beautify your life.
²³ Then you will go on your way in safety.
    And you will not get hurt.
²⁴ You won’t need to be afraid when you lie down.
    When you lie down, your sleep will be peaceful.
²⁵ You won’t need to be afraid of trouble coming suddenly.
    You won’t need to fear the ruin that comes to the wicked.
²⁶ The Lord will keep you safe.
    He will keep you from being trapped.

²⁷ Whenever you are able,
    do good to people who need help.
²⁸ If you have what your neighbor asks for,
    don’t say to him,
    “Come back later. I will give it to you tomorrow.”
²⁹ Don’t make plans to hurt your neighbor.
    He lives nearby and trusts you.
³⁰ Don’t accuse a man for no good reason.
    Don’t accuse him if he has not harmed you.

³¹ Don’t be jealous of men who use violence.
    And don’t choose to be like them.
³² The Lord hates those who do wrong.
    But he is a friend to those who are honest.
³³ The Lord will put a curse on the evil person’s house.
    But he will bless the home of people who do what is right.
³⁴ The Lord laughs at those who laugh at him.
    But he is kind to those who are not proud.
³⁵ Wise people will receive honor.
    But foolish people will be disgraced.