Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
for I give you sound learning. Don’t 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 was a son to my father, tender and an 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 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. Don’t forget, and don’t deviate from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
8 Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor when you embrace her.
9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you.”
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will 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 straight 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 will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
Take firm hold of instruction. Don’t let her 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.
Don’t enter into the path of the wicked. Don’t walk in the way of evil men.
15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
Avoid it, and don’t pass by it. Turn 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 don’t sleep unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone 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 like the dawning light that shines more and more until the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.
20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
My son, attend to my words. Turn 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 center of your 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 their whole body.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
Make the path of your feet level. Let all of 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.
Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.
