More advice to Solomon's son
3
1 My son, do not forget what I have taught you.
Keep my commands in your inner being,
2 because you will live a long time and things will go well for you if you obey them.
3 Always faithfully love others and ◄be faithful/do what you say that you will do►;
doing those things will cause others to be pleased with you;
it will be as though you are wearing a beautiful necklace.
Keep those things in your mind/inner being.
4 If you do, God and people will approve of you
and think highly of you [MTY].
5 Trust in Yahweh completely with your inner being,
and do not rely on what you yourself understand.
6 Always allow him to lead you.
If you do that, he will ◄show you the right path/direct your life►.
7 Do not be proud of being wise.
Instead, revere Yahweh
and turn away from doing evil.
8 If you do that, your body will be healthy/strong;
it will be like medicine for you.
9 Honor Yahweh by what you do with your money;
by giving him the first part of your harvest.
10 If you do that, you will have a good harvest.
Yahweh will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats/containers will be overflowing with grape juice for making wine.
11 My son, when Yahweh disciplines/punishes you, do not despise it,
and if he rebukes you, do not resent it.
12 I say that because it is the people whom Yahweh loves that he corrects/reproves,
just like parents correct/reprove their sons whom they love.
13 Yahweh is pleased with those who get wisdom and good understanding.
14 Being wise and having good understanding is worth more than silver;
they give you something that is better than gold.
15 Being wise is more precious than ◄jewels/precious stones►;
there is nothing that you desire that is as valuable as wisdom.
16 With one hand wisdom [PRS] enables you to live a long life,
and with the other hand wisdom enables you to become rich and to be honored.
17 If you are wise, you will ◄walk along pleasant paths/be happy►,
and you will have a good life.
18 Wisdom is like a tree that gives long life to those who eagerly take hold of it,
and Yahweh is pleased with those who hold onto it tightly.
19 With his wisdom Yahweh created the earth,
and with his understanding he put everything in the skies.
20 By being smart he caused the water that was beneath the earth to burst forth,
and he caused rain to fall from the clouds.
21 My son, always keep doing things that are right and things that are smart.
If you do that,
22 you will live many years and be honored and respected {people will honor and respect you}.
23 If you do what is right and smart, you will be able to walk safely,
and you will not ◄stumble/do things that are wrong► [MET].
24 You will be able to lie down at night and not be afraid of anything,
and you will sleep peacefully.
25 You will not be afraid that something disastrous will happen to you
or that storms that strike the wicked will strike you,
26 because you will be confident that Yahweh will take care of you.
He will not let your foot be caught in a trap/snare.
27 If you are able to help people who deserve it,
do not refuse to help them.
28 If you are able to help someone you interact with,
do not say, “Come back later;
perhaps I can help you tomorrow.”
29 Do not make plans to harm anyone you interact with regularly,
because they live near you, and they trust you.
30 If someone has not harmed you,
do not accuse him by saying that he has harmed you.
31 Do not envy people who obtain things by violent actions,
and do not imitate/do what they do.
32 I say that because Yahweh considers such people to be abominable/detestable;
but he is a friend to all those who do what is right.
33 Yahweh curses the families [MTY] of those who are wicked,
but he blesses the families of those who are good/righteous.
34 Yahweh makes fun of those who make fun of others,
but he kindly helps those who are humble.
35 Wise people will be honored {people will honor wise people},
but foolish people will be dishonored/disgraced.