Proverbs 4
1 Hear, you sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
Hear, ye sons, the correction of a father, and attend, that ye may know understanding.
2 For I have given to you good learning, do not forsake my law.
For, good teaching, have I given you, mine instruction, do not ye forsake.
3 For I have been a son to my father—tender, And an only one before my mother.
For, a son, became I to my father, tender and most precious 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.
So he taught me, and said to me—Let thy heart, lay hold of my words, Keep 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, Do not forget, neither decline thou from the sayings of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she preserves you, Love her, and she keeps you.
Do not forsake her, and she will guard thee, —love her and she will keep thee.
7 The first thing [is] wisdom—get wisdom, And with all your getting get understanding.
The principal thing, is wisdom, acquire thou wisdom, With all thine acquisition, acquire thou understanding.
8 Exalt her and she lifts you up, She honors you when you embrace her.
Exalt her, and she will set thee on high, she will bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her:
9 She gives a wreath of grace to your head, She gives you a crown of beauty freely.”
She will give for thy head, a wreath of beauty, A crown of adorning, will she bestow upon thee.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to you.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and they will multiply to 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 taught thee, I have guided thee in 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 hemmed in, and, if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] your life.
Take 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.
Upon the path of the lawless, do not thou enter, and do not advance in the way of the wicked:
15 Avoid it, do not pass over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
Avoid it, do not pass thereon—turn from it, and depart.
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, unless they can do mischief, —They rob themselves of their sleep, if they cannot cause someone to stumble,
17 For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And they drink wine of violence.
For they consume bread gotten by lawlessness, and, wine obtained by violence, 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 light of dawn, —going on and brightening, unto meridian day.
19 The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
The way of the lawless, is like darkness, they know not, at what they stumble.
20 My son, give attention to my words, Incline your ear to my sayings,
My son, to my words, attend, to my sayings, incline thou thine ear;
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, keep them in the midst of thy heart;
22 For they [are] life to those finding them, And healing to all their flesh.
For, life, they are, to them who find them, —and, to every part of one’s flesh, they bring healing.
23 Above every charge keep your heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
Above all that must be guarded, keep thou 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, perverseness of mouth, and, craftiness of lips, put far from thee.
25 Your eyes look straightforward, And your eyelids look straight before you.
Let, thine eyes, right onward, look, —and, thine eyelashes, point straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of your feet, And all your ways [are] established.
Make level the track of thy foot, that, all thy ways, may be directed aright:
27 Do not incline [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside your foot from evil!
Decline not, to the right hand or to the left, —Turn away thy foot from wickedness.
