Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, And attend, that ye may learn understanding!
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
For I give you good instruction; Forsake ye not my commandments.
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, A tender and only child 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, and said to me, Let thy heart hold fast 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 not, and depart not 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 will guard thee: Love her, and she will preserve thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore gain wisdom, And with all thy gain, gain 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 will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her;
9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
She will give to thy head a graceful wreath, A beautiful crown will she bestow upon thee.
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! So shall the years of thy life be many.
11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
I have taught thee the way of wisdom, I have guided thee in the right path.
12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be confined; And, when thou runnest, thou shalt 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 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 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 upon it, Turn from it, and go 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, unless they have done mischief; Yea, their sleep is taken away, unless they have caused 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 righteous is as the light of dawn, Which groweth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
The way of the wicked is as thick 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 thine 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 thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart!
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
More than any thing which thou watchest, watch thy heart; For from it goeth forth life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
Put away from thee a deceitful mouth, And remove far from thee perverse lips.
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
Let thine eyes look straight forward, And thine eyelids be directed before thee.
26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
Give heed to the path of thy foot, And let all thy ways be steadfast.
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 or to the left; Remove thy foot from evil.
