Proverbs 4
1 Hear, you sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
2 For I have given to you good learning, do not forsake my law.
For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
3 For I have been a son to my father—tender, And an only one before my mother.
For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,
4 And he directs me, and he says to me: “Let your heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she preserves you, Love her, and she keeps you.
Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
7 The first thing [is] wisdom—get wisdom, And with all your getting get understanding.
Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
8 Exalt her and she lifts you up, She honors you when you embrace her.
Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
9 She gives a wreath of grace to your head, She gives you a crown of beauty freely.”
She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to you.
Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
11 I have directed you in a way of wisdom, I have caused you to tread in paths of uprightness.
I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
12 In your walking your step is not restricted, And if you run, you do not stumble.
Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
13 Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] your life.
Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
14 Do not enter into the path of the wicked, And do not be blessed in a way of evildoers.
Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
15 Avoid it, do not pass over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
16 For they do not sleep if they do no evil, And their sleep has been taken away violently, If they do not cause [some] to stumble.
For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
17 For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And they drink wine of violence.
For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
18 And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening until the day is established,
But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.
19 The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
20 My son, give attention to my words, Incline your ear to my sayings,
My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
21 Do not let them turn aside from your eyes, Preserve them in the midst of your heart.
Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
22 For they [are] life to those finding them, And healing to all their flesh.
For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
23 Above every charge keep your heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
24 Turn aside a contrary mouth from you, And put perverse lips far from you,
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
25 Your eyes look straightforward, And your eyelids look straight before you.
Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
26 Ponder the path of your feet, And all your ways [are] established.
Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
27 Do not incline [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside your foot from evil!
Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
