Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the correction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
My children, listen to what I am teaching you. If you pay attention, you will understand what is wise.
2 For good information do I give you: my teaching must ye not forsake.
What I am teaching you is good, so do not turn away from it.
3 For I was a son unto my father, a tender and an only child before my mother.
When I was a young boy, loved by my mother,
4 And he instructed me, and said unto me, Let thy heart grasp firmly my words: observe my commandments and live.
my father told me, “Remember my words; if you obey my commandments, you will live [a long time].
5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding: forget not, and depart not from the sayings of my mouth.
Obtain wisdom and understanding, and (do not abandon/hold fast to) [LIT] what I have taught you.
6 Forsake her not, and she will watch over thee: love her, and she will keep thee.
Do not turn away from wisdom, because if you are wise, you will be protected [from all evil/danger]. If you love wisdom, wisdom [PRS] will guard you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is, Acquire wisdom: and with all thy acquisition acquire understanding.
The most important thing that you can do is to get wisdom. Even if you obtain many other things, the best thing is to know what things are wise.
8 Hold her in high esteem, and she will exalt thee: she will bring thee to honor, when thou embracest her.
If you consider being wise to be very valuable, [people] will think very highly of you. If you cling to wisdom [like you would cling to a woman you love], [many people] will honor you.
9 She will give to thy head a wreath of grace: a crown of ornament will she deliver to thee.
If you become wise, that will for you be [like] a beautiful wreath that is put {someone puts} on your head; it will be [like] a king’s glorious crown.” [That is what my father told me].
10 Hear, O my son, and accept my sayings: and they will increase unto thee the years of life.
[So now I say], “My son, heed what I say. If you do that, you will live a [good] long life.
11 In the way of wisdom have I instructed thee: I have led thee in the tracks of uprightness.
I am teaching you the way to live wisely; I am showing you how to act justly [toward others].
12 When thou walkest, thy step shall not be narrowed; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
If you live wisely, when you decide to do something, you will succeed [LIT].
13 Lay fast hold of correction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Hold fast to the things I have taught you to do, and do not let them go. Guard them, because they [will be the source of a good] life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and step not on the way of the bad.
Do not do the things that wicked people do; [do not behave like they do]; do not even walk on the roads that evil [people] walk on [MET].
15 Avoid it, pass not through by it, turn off from it, and pass away.
Stay away from those roads; turn aside and walk on other roads;
16 For they sleep not, except they have done evil, and their sleep is robbed away, unless they cause some to stumble.
because evil people cannot sleep if they have not done some evil deed [on that day]. They cannot rest if they have not harmed someone.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness; and the wine of violence do they drink.
What they eat and what they drink are things that they have obtained by acting wickedly and violently.”
18 But the path of the righteous is as the early morning light, that shineth more and more brightly until the height of noonday.
The behavior of good/righteous [people] is like the light [that begins to shine] at dawn and then [continues to] shine brighter until the brightest time of day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness: they know not against what they stumble.
[But] the behavior of wicked [people] is like deep/thick darkness. [Because it is very dark], they cannot see the things that cause them to stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words, unto my sayings incline thy ear.
My son, pay attention to what I am saying. Listen to my words carefully.
21 Let them not slip away from thy eyes: guard them in the midst of thy heart.
Keep them close to you; let them penetrate your inner being,
22 For they are life unto every one of those that find them, and to all his body a healing.
because you will have [PRS] [a good] life and [good] health if you [search for them and] find them.
23 Above all that is to be guarded, keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life.
It is very important that you be careful about what you think, because what you think controls [MET] the things that you do.
24 Remove from thee frowardness of mouth; and perverseness of lips put away far from thee.
Do not say anything that deceives [others] and never say what is not true.
25 Let thy eyes look right forward, and let thy eyelids see straight out before thee.
Keep looking straight ahead toward the events that are before you, and do not turn aside.
26 Balance well the track of thy foot, and let all thy ways be firmly right.
Plan carefully where you will go and what you will do, and then stay on that road. Then what you do will be right.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Do not leave the straight road by turning to the left or to the right. [Do only what is right] and keep yourself from [doing what is] evil.
