Proverbs 4
1 Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
Give ear, my sons, to the teaching of a father; give attention so that you may have knowledge:
2 For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
For I give you good teaching; do not give up the knowledge you are getting from me.
3 For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,
For I was a son to my father, a gentle and an only one to my mother.
4 When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.
And he gave me teaching, saying to me, Keep my words in your heart; keep my rules so that you may have life:
5 Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
Get wisdom, get true knowledge; keep it in memory, do not be turned away from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
Do not give her up, and she will keep you; give her your love, and she will make you safe.
7 Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
The first sign of wisdom is to get wisdom; go, give all you have to get true knowledge.
8 Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
Put her in a high place, and you will be lifted up by her; she will give you honour, when you give her your love.
9 She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
She will put a crown of grace on your head, giving you a head-dress of glory.
10 Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
Give ear, O my son, and let your heart be open to my sayings; and long life will be yours.
11 I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
I have given you teaching in the way of wisdom, guiding your steps in the straight way.
12 Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
When you go, your way will not be narrow, and in running you will not have a fall.
13 Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
Take learning in your hands, do not let her go: keep her, for she is your life.
14 Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
Do not go in the road of sinners, or be walking in the way of evil men.
15 Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
Keep far from it, do not go near; be turned from it, and go on your way.
16 For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
For they take no rest till they have done evil; their sleep is taken away if they have not been the cause of someone's fall.
17 For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
The bread of evil-doing is their food, the wine of violent acts their drink.
18 But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.
But the way of the upright is like the light of early morning, getting brighter and brighter till the full day.
19 The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
The way of sinners is dark; they see not the cause of their fall.
20 My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
My son, give attention to my words; let your ear be turned to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
Let them not go from your eyes; keep them deep in your heart.
22 For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.
23 Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
And keep watch over your heart with all care; so you will have life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
Put away from you an evil tongue, and let false lips be far from you.
25 Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
Keep your eyes on what is in front of you, looking straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
Keep a watch on your behaviour; let all your ways be rightly ordered.
27 Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil.
