Proverbs 4
1 Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
Hear, ye children, the correction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
For good information do I give you: my teaching must ye not forsake.
3 For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,
For I was a son unto my father, a tender and an only child before 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 instructed me, and said unto me, Let thy heart grasp firmly my words: observe my commandments and live.
5 Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding: forget not, and depart not from the sayings of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
Forsake her not, and she will watch over thee: love her, and she will keep thee.
7 Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
The beginning of wisdom is, Acquire wisdom: and with all thy acquisition acquire understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
Hold her in high esteem, and she will exalt thee: she will bring thee to honor, when thou embracest her.
9 She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
She will give to thy head a wreath of grace: a crown of ornament will she deliver to thee.
10 Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
Hear, O my son, and accept my sayings: and they will increase unto thee the years of life.
11 I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
In the way of wisdom have I instructed thee: I have led thee in the tracks of uprightness.
12 Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
When thou walkest, thy step shall not be narrowed; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
Lay fast hold of correction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14 Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and step not on the way of the bad.
15 Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
Avoid it, pass not through by it, turn off from it, and pass away.
16 For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
For they sleep not, except they have done evil, and their sleep is robbed away, unless they cause some to stumble.
17 For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
For they eat the bread of wickedness; and the wine of violence do they drink.
18 But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.
But the path of the righteous is as the early morning light, that shineth more and more brightly until the height of noonday.
19 The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
The way of the wicked is like darkness: they know not against what they stumble.
20 My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
My son, attend to my words, unto my sayings incline thy ear.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
Let them not slip away from thy eyes: guard them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
For they are life unto every one of those that find them, and to all his body a healing.
23 Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
Above all that is to be guarded, keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
Remove from thee frowardness of mouth; and perverseness of lips put away far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
Let thy eyes look right forward, and let thy eyelids see straight out before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
Balance well the track of thy foot, and let all thy ways be firmly right.
27 Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
