Proverbs 4
1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
Give ear, my sons, to the teaching of a father; give attention so that you may have knowledge:
2 For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.
For I give you good teaching; do not give up the knowledge you are getting from me.
3 When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child of my mother,
For I was a son to my father, a gentle and an only one to my mother.
4 he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.
And he gave me teaching, saying to me, Keep my words in your heart; keep my rules so that you may have life:
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them.
Get wisdom, get true knowledge; keep it in memory, do not be turned away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.
Do not give her up, and she will keep you; give her your love, and she will make you safe.
7 Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.
The first sign of wisdom is to get wisdom; go, give all you have to get true knowledge.
8 Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you.
Put her in a high place, and you will be lifted up by her; she will give you honour, when you give her your love.
9 She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”
She will put a crown of grace on your head, giving you a head-dress of glory.
10 Listen, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many.
Give ear, O my son, and let your heart be open to my sayings; and long life will be yours.
11 I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.
I have given you teaching in the way of wisdom, guiding your steps in the straight way.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble.
When you go, your way will not be narrow, and in running you will not have a fall.
13 Hold on to instruction; do not let go. Guard it, for it is your life.
Take learning in your hands, do not let her go: keep her, for she is your life.
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.
Do not go in the road of sinners, or be walking in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by.
Keep far from it, do not go near; be turned from it, and go on your way.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.
For they take no rest till they have done evil; their sleep is taken away if they have not been the cause of someone's fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
The bread of evil-doing is their food, the wine of violent acts their drink.
18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
But the way of the upright is like the light of early morning, getting brighter and brighter till the full day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.
The way of sinners is dark; they see not the cause of their fall.
20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
My son, give attention to my words; let your ear be turned to my sayings.
21 Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart.
Let them not go from your eyes; keep them deep in your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.
For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.
23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.
And keep watch over your heart with all care; so you will have life.
24 Put away deception from your mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech.
Put away from you an evil tongue, and let false lips be far from you.
25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.
Keep your eyes on what is in front of you, looking straight before you.
26 Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.
Keep a watch on your behaviour; let all your ways be rightly ordered.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.
Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil.
