Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye sons, the correction of a father, and attend, that ye may know understanding.
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence;
2 For, good teaching, have I given you, mine instruction, do not ye forsake.
for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law.
3 For, a son, became I to my father, tender and most precious in the sight of my mother.
For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother.
4 So he taught me, and said to me—Let thy heart, lay hold of my words, Keep my commandments and live!
And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live.
5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, Do not forget, neither decline thou from the sayings of my mouth.
Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will guard thee, —love her and she will keep thee.
Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7 The principal thing, is wisdom, acquire thou wisdom, With all thine acquisition, acquire thou understanding.
The beginning of wisdom [is], Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence.
8 Exalt her, and she will set thee on high, she will bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her:
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her.
9 She will give for thy head, a wreath of beauty, A crown of adorning, will she bestow upon thee.
She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and they will multiply to thee the years of life.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.
11 In the way of wisdom, have I taught thee, I have guided thee in tracks of uprightness.
I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness.
12 When thou walkest, thy step shall not be hemmed in, and, if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take fast hold of correction, let her not go, —keep her, for, she, is thy life.
Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life.
14 Upon the path of the lawless, do not thou enter, and do not advance in the way of the wicked:
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]:
15 Avoid it, do not pass thereon—turn from it, and depart.
avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away.
16 For they sleep not, unless they can do mischief, —They rob themselves of their sleep, if they cannot cause someone to stumble,
For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused [some] to fall.
17 For they consume bread gotten by lawlessness, and, wine obtained by violence, they drink.
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
18 But, the path of the righteous, is as the light of dawn, —going on and brightening, unto meridian day.
But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come.
19 The way of the lawless, is like darkness, they know not, at what they stumble.
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, to my words, attend, to my sayings, incline thou thine ear;
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart;
Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For, life, they are, to them who find them, —and, to every part of one’s flesh, they bring healing.
For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Above all that must be guarded, keep thou thy heart, for, out of it, are the issues of life.
Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Remove from thee, perverseness of mouth, and, craftiness of lips, put far from thee.
Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee.
25 Let, thine eyes, right onward, look, —and, thine eyelashes, point straight before thee.
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Make level the track of thy foot, that, all thy ways, may be directed aright:
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered.
27 Decline not, to the right hand or to the left, —Turn away thy foot from wickedness.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.
