Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the correction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
2 For good information do I give you: my teaching must ye not forsake.
I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
3 For I was a son unto my father, a tender and an only child before my mother.
For I also was my father’s son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
4 And he instructed me, and said unto me, Let thy heart grasp firmly my words: observe my commandments and live.
And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding: forget not, and depart not from the sayings of my mouth.
Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she will watch over thee: love her, and she will keep thee.
Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom is, Acquire wisdom: and with all thy acquisition acquire understanding.
The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
8 Hold her in high esteem, and she will exalt thee: she will bring thee to honor, when thou embracest her.
Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
9 She will give to thy head a wreath of grace: a crown of ornament will she deliver to thee.
She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
10 Hear, O my son, and accept my sayings: and they will increase unto thee the years of life.
Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
11 In the way of wisdom have I instructed thee: I have led thee in the tracks of uprightness.
I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
12 When thou walkest, thy step shall not be narrowed; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
13 Lay fast hold of correction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and step not on the way of the bad.
Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
15 Avoid it, pass not through by it, turn off from it, and pass away.
Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
16 For they sleep not, except they have done evil, and their sleep is robbed away, unless they cause some to stumble.
For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness; and the wine of violence do they drink.
They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
18 But the path of the righteous is as the early morning light, that shineth more and more brightly until the height of noonday.
But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness: they know not against what they stumble.
The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
20 My son, attend to my words, unto my sayings incline thy ear.
My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not slip away from thy eyes: guard them in the midst of thy heart.
Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
22 For they are life unto every one of those that find them, and to all his body a healing.
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
23 Above all that is to be guarded, keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life.
With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
24 Remove from thee frowardness of mouth; and perverseness of lips put away far from thee.
Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
25 Let thy eyes look right forward, and let thy eyelids see straight out before thee.
Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
26 Balance well the track of thy foot, and let all thy ways be firmly right.
Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
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.
