Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
3 For I also was my father’s son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,
4 And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.
5 Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
8 Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
16 For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.
For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.
19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
27 Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.
Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
