Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to the discipline of a father, and pay attention, so that you may know prudence.
Listen, sons, to a father's instruction, and pay attention so you will know what understanding is.
2 I will bestow upon you a good gift. Do not relinquish my law.
I am giving you good instructions; do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I, too, was the son of my father, tender and an only son in the sight of my mother.
When I was a son of my father, the tender and only child of my mother,
4 And he taught me, and he also said: “Let your heart accept my words. Keep my precepts, and you shall live.
he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast to my words; keep my commands and live.
5 Obtain wisdom, obtain prudence. May you neither forget, nor turn away from, the words of my mouth.
Acquire wisdom and understanding; do not forget and do not reject the words of my mouth;
6 Do not send her away, and she will guard you. Love her, and she will preserve you.
do not abandon wisdom and she will watch over you; love her and she will keep you safe.
7 The beginning of wisdom is to obtain wisdom, and, with all that you possess, to acquire prudence.
Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom and spend all you own so you can get understanding.
8 Grasp her, and she will exalt you. You will be glorified by her, when you have embraced her.
Cherish wisdom and she will exalt you; she will honor you when you embrace her.
9 She will bestow upon your head an increase in graces, and she will protect you with a noble crown.
She will put a wreath of honor on your head; she will give you a beautiful crown.”
10 Listen, my son, and accept my words, so that years of life may be multiplied for you.
Listen, my son, and pay attention to my words, and you will have many years in your life.
11 I will demonstrate to you the way of wisdom. I will lead you along the paths of equity.
I direct you in the way of wisdom; I lead you down straight paths.
12 When you have entered by these, your steps will not be constrained, and when running, you will have no obstacle.
When you walk, no one will stand in your way and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take hold of discipline. Do not dismiss it. Guard it, for it is your life.
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it, for it is your life.
14 Do not delight in the paths of the impious, nor permit the way of evil-doers to please you.
Do not follow the path of the wicked and do not go along the way of those who do evil.
15 Take flight from it. Do not pass close to it. Turn away and abandon it.
Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it and go another way.
16 For they do not sleep, unless they have done evil. And their sleep is quickly taken away from them, unless they have overthrown.
For they cannot sleep until they do evil and they are robbed of sleep until they cause someone to stumble.
17 They eat the bread of impiety, and they drink the wine of iniquity.
For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just is like a shining light: it advances and increases, even to the day of completion.
But the path of righteous people is like the first light that grows brighter; it shines more and more until the fullness of the day comes.
19 The way of the impious is darkened. They do not know where they may fall.
The way of the wicked is like darkness— they do not know what it is they stumble over.
20 My son, pay attention to my sermons, and incline your ear to my eloquent words.
My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not recede from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.
Do not let them turn away from your eyes; keep them in your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them and health to all that is flesh.
For my words are life to those who find them and health to their whole body.
23 Preserve your heart with all watchfulness, for life proceeds from this.
Keep your heart safe and guard it with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Remove from yourself a corrupt mouth, and let detracting lips be far from you.
Put crooked speech away from you and put corrupt talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, and let your eyelids precede your steps.
Let your eyes look straight ahead and fix your gaze straight before you.
26 Direct the path of your feet, and all your ways shall be secure.
Make a level path for your foot; then all your ways will be secure.
27 Turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left; yet turn your foot away from evil. For the Lord knows the ways that are on the right, and truly, those that are on the left are perverse. But he himself will make your courses straight. Then your journey will advance in peace.
Do not turn aside to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
