Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Hear, ye children, the correction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I give you a good gift; forsake ye not my law.
For good information do I give you: my teaching must ye not forsake.
3 For I also was a son obedient to [my] father, and loved in the sight of [my] mother:
For I was a son unto my father, a tender and an only child before my mother.
4 who spoke and instructed me, [saying], Let our speech be fixed in thine heart, keep [our] commandments, forget them not:
And he instructed me, and said unto me, Let thy heart grasp firmly my words: observe my commandments and live.
5 and do not neglect the speech of my mouth.
Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding: forget not, and depart not from the sayings of my mouth.
6 And forsake it not, and it shall cleave to thee: love it, and it shall keep thee.
Forsake her not, and she will watch over thee: love her, and she will keep thee.
The beginning of wisdom is, Acquire wisdom: and with all thy acquisition acquire understanding.
8 Secure it, and it shall exalt thee: honour it, that it may embrace thee;
Hold her in high esteem, and she will exalt thee: she will bring thee to honor, when thou embracest her.
9 that it may give unto thy head a crown of graces, and may cover thee with a crown of delight.
She will give to thy head a wreath of grace: a crown of ornament will she deliver to thee.
10 Hear, [my] son, and receive my words; and the years of thy life shall be increased, that the resources of thy life may be many.
Hear, O my son, and accept my sayings: and they will increase unto thee the years of life.
11 For I teach thee the ways of wisdom; and I cause thee to go in right paths.
In the way of wisdom have I instructed thee: I have led thee in the tracks of uprightness.
12 For when thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not be distressed.
When thou walkest, thy step shall not be narrowed; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take hold of my instruction; let it not go, —but keep it for thyself for thy life.
Lay fast hold of correction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14 Go not in the ways of the ungodly, neither covet the ways of transgressors.
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and step not on the way of the bad.
15 In whatever place they shall pitch their camp, go not thither; but turn from them, and pass away.
Avoid it, pass not through by it, turn off from it, and pass away.
16 For they cannot sleep, unless they have done evil: their sleep is taken away, and they rest not.
For they sleep not, except they have done evil, and their sleep is robbed away, unless they cause some to stumble.
17 For these live upon the bread of ungodliness, and are drunken with wine of transgression.
For they eat the bread of wickedness; and the wine of violence do they drink.
18 But the ways of the righteous shine like light; they go on and shine, until the day be fully come.
But the path of the righteous is as the early morning light, that shineth more and more brightly until the height of noonday.
19 But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble.
The way of the wicked is like darkness: they know not against what they stumble.
20 [My] son, attend to my speech; and apply thine ear to my words:
My son, attend to my words, unto my sayings incline thy ear.
21 that thy fountains may not fail thee; keep them in [thine] heart.
Let them not slip away from thy eyes: guard them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all [their] flesh.
For they are life unto every one of those that find them, and to all his body a healing.
23 Keep thine heart with the utmost care; for out of these are the issues of life.
Above all that is to be guarded, keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and put far away from thee unjust lips.
Remove from thee frowardness of mouth; and perverseness of lips put away far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids assent [to] just [things].
Let thy eyes look right forward, and let thy eyelids see straight out before thee.
26 Make straight paths for thy feet, and order thy ways aright.
Balance well the track of thy foot, and let all thy ways be firmly right.
27 Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left, but turn away thy foot from an evil way.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
