Proverbs 4
1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
2 For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.
For good learning I have given to you, My law forsake not.
3 When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child of my mother,
For, a son I have been to my father — tender, And an only one before 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 directeth me, and he saith to me: 'Let thy heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them.
Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.
Forsake her not, and she doth preserve thee, Love her, and she doth keep thee.
7 Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.
The first thing [is] wisdom — get wisdom, And with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you.
Exalt her, and she doth lift thee up, She honoureth thee, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”
She giveth to thy head a wreath of grace, A crown of beauty she doth give thee freely.
10 Listen, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to thee.
11 I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.
In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble.
In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.
13 Hold on to instruction; do not let go. Guard it, for it is your life.
Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] thy life.
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.
Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.
15 Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by.
Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.
For they sleep not if they do not evil, And their sleep hath been taken violently away, If they cause not [some] to stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And wine of violence they drink.
18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established,
19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.
The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear,
21 Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart.
Let them not turn aside from thine eyes, Preserve them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.
For life they [are] to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing.
23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.
Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
24 Put away deception from your mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech.
Turn aside from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee,
25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.
Thine eyes do look straightforward, And thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.
Ponder thou the path of thy feet, And all thy ways [are] established.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.
Incline not [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!
