Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, And attend, that ye may learn understanding!
Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
2 For I give you good instruction; Forsake ye not my commandments.
For good learning I have given to you, My law forsake not.
3 For I was my father's son, A tender and only child in the sight of my mother.
For, a son I have been to my father — tender, And an only one before my mother.
4 He taught me, and said to me, Let thy heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments, and live.
And he directeth me, and he saith to me: 'Let thy heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, and depart not from, the words of my mouth.
Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she will guard thee: Love her, and she will preserve thee.
Forsake her not, and she doth preserve thee, Love her, and she doth keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore gain wisdom, And with all thy gain, gain understanding.
The first thing [is] wisdom — get wisdom, And with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her;
Exalt her, and she doth lift thee up, She honoureth thee, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She will give to thy head a graceful wreath, A beautiful crown will she bestow upon thee.
She giveth to thy head a wreath of grace, A crown of beauty she doth give thee freely.
10 Hear, O my son! and receive my sayings! So shall the years of thy life be many.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to thee.
11 I have taught thee the way of wisdom, I have guided thee in the right path.
In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness.
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be confined; And, when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.
13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go; Keep her, for she is thy life.
Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, And go not in the way of evil men;
Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.
15 Avoid it, pass not upon it, Turn from it, and go away.
Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
16 For they sleep not, unless they have done mischief; Yea, their sleep is taken away, unless they have caused some to fall.
For they sleep not if they do not evil, And their sleep hath been taken violently away, If they cause not [some] to stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.
For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And wine of violence they drink.
18 But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, Which groweth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.
And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established,
19 The way of the wicked is as thick darkness; They know not at what they stumble.
The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear to my sayings;
My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear,
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart!
Let them not turn aside from thine eyes, Preserve them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
For life they [are] to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing.
23 More than any thing which thou watchest, watch thy heart; For from it goeth forth life.
Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
24 Put away from thee a deceitful mouth, And remove far from thee perverse lips.
Turn aside from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee,
25 Let thine eyes look straight forward, And thine eyelids be directed before thee.
Thine eyes do look straightforward, And thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Give heed to the path of thy foot, And let all thy ways be steadfast.
Ponder thou the path of thy feet, And all thy ways [are] established.
27 Turn not to the right hand or to the left; Remove thy foot from evil.
Incline not [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!
