Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence;
Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
2 for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law.
For good learning I have given to you, My law forsake not.
3 For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother.
For, a son I have been to my father — tender, And an only one before my mother.
4 And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and 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 intelligence: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee.
Forsake her not, and she doth preserve thee, Love her, and she doth keep thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom [is], Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence.
The first thing [is] wisdom — get wisdom, And with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her.
Exalt her, and she doth lift thee up, She honoureth thee, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee.
She giveth to thy head a wreath of grace, A crown of beauty she doth give thee freely.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to thee.
11 I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness.
In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness.
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.
13 Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life.
Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]:
Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.
15 avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away.
Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
16 For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused [some] to 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 But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come.
And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established,
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear,
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.
Let them not turn aside from thine eyes, Preserve them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
For life they [are] to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing.
23 Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life.
Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
24 Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee.
Turn aside from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee,
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Thine eyes do look straightforward, And thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered.
Ponder thou the path of thy feet, And all thy ways [are] established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.
Incline not [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!
