Proverbs 4
1 Hear, you sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
Hear, ye children, the correction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I have given to you good learning, do not forsake my law.
For good information do I give you: my teaching must ye not forsake.
3 For I have been a son to my father—tender, And an only one before my mother.
For I was a son unto my father, a tender and an only child before my mother.
4 And he directs me, and he says to me: “Let your heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
And he instructed me, and said unto me, Let thy heart grasp firmly my words: observe my commandments and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding: forget not, and depart not from the sayings of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she preserves you, Love her, and she keeps you.
Forsake her not, and she will watch over thee: love her, and she will keep thee.
7 The first thing [is] wisdom—get wisdom, And with all your getting get understanding.
The beginning of wisdom is, Acquire wisdom: and with all thy acquisition acquire understanding.
8 Exalt her and she lifts you up, She honors you when you embrace her.
Hold her in high esteem, and she will exalt thee: she will bring thee to honor, when thou embracest her.
9 She gives a wreath of grace to your head, She gives you a crown of beauty freely.”
She will give to thy head a wreath of grace: a crown of ornament will she deliver to thee.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to you.
Hear, O my son, and accept my sayings: and they will increase unto thee the years of life.
11 I have directed you in a way of wisdom, I have caused you to tread in paths of uprightness.
In the way of wisdom have I instructed thee: I have led thee in the tracks of uprightness.
12 In your walking your step is not restricted, And if you run, you do not stumble.
When thou walkest, thy step shall not be narrowed; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] your life.
Lay fast hold of correction; let her not go: keep her; for she 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 path of the wicked, and step not on the way of the bad.
15 Avoid it, do not pass over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
Avoid it, pass not through by it, turn off from it, and pass away.
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 sleep not, except they have done evil, and their sleep is robbed away, unless they cause some to stumble.
17 For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And they drink wine of violence.
For they eat the bread of wickedness; and the wine of violence do they drink.
18 And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening until the day is established,
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 darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
The way of the wicked is like darkness: they know not against what they stumble.
20 My son, give attention to my words, Incline your ear to my sayings,
My son, attend to my words, unto my sayings incline thy ear.
21 Do not let them turn aside from your eyes, Preserve them in the midst of your heart.
Let them not slip away from thy eyes: guard them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they [are] life to those finding them, And healing to all their flesh.
For they are life unto every one of those that find them, and to all his body a healing.
23 Above every charge keep your heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
Above all that is to be guarded, keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Turn aside a contrary mouth from you, And put perverse lips far from you,
Remove from thee frowardness of mouth; and perverseness of lips put away far from thee.
25 Your eyes look straightforward, And your eyelids look straight before you.
Let thy eyes look right forward, and let thy eyelids see straight out before thee.
26 Ponder the path of your feet, And all your ways [are] established.
Balance well the track of thy foot, and let all thy ways be firmly right.
27 Do not incline [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside your foot from evil!
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
