Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
Hear, ye sons, the correction of a father, and attend, that ye may know understanding.
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
For, good teaching, have I given you, mine instruction, do not ye forsake.
3 For I also was my father’s son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
For, a son, became I to my father, tender and most precious 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.
So he taught me, and said to me—Let thy heart, lay hold of my words, Keep my commandments and live!
5 Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, Do not forget, neither decline thou 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 will guard thee, —love her and she will keep thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
The principal thing, is wisdom, acquire thou wisdom, With all thine acquisition, acquire thou 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 set thee on high, she will bring thee to honour, 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 for thy head, a wreath of beauty, A crown of adorning, will she bestow upon thee.
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 they will multiply to thee the years of life.
11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
In the way of wisdom, have I taught thee, I have guided thee in tracks 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.
When thou walkest, thy step shall not be hemmed in, and, if 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 correction, 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.
Upon the path of the lawless, do not thou enter, and do not advance in the way of the wicked:
15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
Avoid it, do not pass thereon—turn from it, and depart.
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 can do mischief, —They rob themselves of their sleep, if they cannot cause someone to stumble,
17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
For they consume bread gotten by lawlessness, and, wine obtained by violence, they drink.
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, —going on and brightening, unto meridian day.
19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
The way of the lawless, is like darkness, they know not, at what they stumble.
20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
My son, to my words, attend, to my sayings, incline thou thine ear;
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, life, they are, to them who find them, —and, to every part of one’s flesh, they bring healing.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
Above all that must be guarded, keep thou thy heart, for, out of it, are the issues of life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
Remove from thee, perverseness of mouth, and, craftiness of lips, put far from thee.
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
Let, thine eyes, right onward, look, —and, thine eyelashes, point straight before thee.
26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
Make level the track of thy foot, that, all thy ways, may be directed 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.
Decline not, to the right hand or to the left, —Turn away thy foot from wickedness.
