Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
Hear, you sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
For I have given to you good learning, do not forsake 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 have been a son to my father—tender, And an only one before my mother.
4 And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
And he directs me, and he says to me: “Let your heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get prudence: forget 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.
Do not forsake her, and she preserves you, Love her, and she keeps you.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
The first thing [is] wisdom—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 lifts you up, She honors you when you embrace her.
9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
She gives a wreath of grace to your head, She gives you a crown of beauty freely.”
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to you.
11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
I have directed you in a way of wisdom, I have caused you to tread in paths of uprightness.
12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
In your walking your step is not restricted, And if you run, you do not stumble.
13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, 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.
Do not enter into the path of the wicked, And do not be blessed in a way of evildoers.
15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
Avoid it, do not pass over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
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 do not sleep if they do no evil, And their sleep has been taken away violently, If they do not cause [some] to stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And they drink wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening until the day is established,
19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
My son, give attention 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:
Do not let them turn aside from your eyes, Preserve them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
For they [are] life to those finding them, And healing to all their flesh.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
Above every charge keep your heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
Turn aside a contrary mouth from you, And put perverse lips far from you,
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
Your eyes look straightforward, And 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 all your ways [are] 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.
Do not incline [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside your foot from evil!
