Proverbs 4
1 Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law.
For good learning I have given to you, My law forsake not.
3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
For, a son I have been to my father — tender, And an only one before my mother.
4 He taught me also, and said to me, Let your heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
And he directeth me, and he saith to me: 'Let thy heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve you: love her, and she shall keep you.
Forsake her not, and she doth preserve thee, Love her, and she doth keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.
The first thing [is] wisdom — get wisdom, And with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote you: she shall bring you to honor, when you do embrace her.
Exalt her, and she doth lift thee up, She honoureth thee, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to your head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to you.
She giveth to thy head a wreath of grace, A crown of beauty she doth give thee freely.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of your life shall be many.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to thee.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.
In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness.
12 When you go, your steps shall not be straitened; and when you run, you shall not stumble.
In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.
13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is your life.
Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
For they sleep not if they do not evil, And their sleep hath been taken violently away, If they cause not [some] to stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And wine of violence they drink.
18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more to the perfect day.
And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established,
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear,
21 Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the middle of your heart.
Let them not turn aside from thine eyes, Preserve them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
For life they [are] to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
24 Put away from you a fraudulent mouth, and perverse lips put far from you.
Turn aside from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee,
25 Let your eyes look right on, and let your eyelids look straight before you.
Thine eyes do look straightforward, And thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.
Ponder thou the path of thy feet, And all thy ways [are] established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove your foot from evil.
Incline not [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!
