Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law.
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 father’s son, tender and only beloved 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.
He taught me also, and said to me, Let your heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
Forsake her not, and she shall preserve you: love her, and she shall keep you.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.
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 promote you: she shall bring you to honor, when you do embrace her.
9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
She shall give to your head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to you.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of your life shall be many.
11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.
12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
When you go, your steps shall not be straitened; and when you run, you shall not stumble.
13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is your life.
14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
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 sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and 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, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more to the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the middle of your heart.
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
Put away from you a fraudulent mouth, and perverse lips put far from you.
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
Let your eyes look right on, and let your eyelids look straight before you.
26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.
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.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove your foot from evil.
