1My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;2for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life.3Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.4Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man.5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.8This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.9Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;10then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.11My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke;12for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.
13Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding,14for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.15She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.16Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.17All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful.18She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.19The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.20By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew.21My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment.22They will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck.23Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.24When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.25Do not fear sudden danger or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,26for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare.
27Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act.28Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”— when you already have the means.29Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he trustfully dwells beside you.30Do not accuse a man without cause, when he has done you no harm.31Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;32for the LORD detests the perverse, but He is a friend to the upright.33The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous.34He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble.35The wise will inherit honor, but fools are held up to shame.
What’s happening. Part of the father’s teaching to his son in the early chapters of Proverbs.
What it means. Trusting God with all your heart means not relying only on your own understanding. “Acknowledge him in all your ways” means bringing God into every area of life, and he will make your paths straight. This is not a promise that life will be easy, but that God will guide those who lean on him.