Proverbs 4
1 My children, listen to what I am teaching you. If you pay attention, you will understand what is wise.
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
2 What I am teaching you is good, so do not turn away from it.
I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
3 When I was a young boy, loved by my mother,
For I also was my father’s son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
4 my father told me, “Remember my words; if you obey my commandments, you will live [a long time].
And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
5 Obtain wisdom and understanding, and (do not abandon/hold fast to) [LIT] what I have taught you.
Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not turn away from wisdom, because if you are wise, you will be protected [from all evil/danger]. If you love wisdom, wisdom [PRS] will guard you.
Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7 The most important thing that you can do is to get wisdom. Even if you obtain many other things, the best thing is to know what things are wise.
The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
8 If you consider being wise to be very valuable, [people] will think very highly of you. If you cling to wisdom [like you would cling to a woman you love], [many people] will honor you.
Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
9 If you become wise, that will for you be [like] a beautiful wreath that is put {someone puts} on your head; it will be [like] a king’s glorious crown.” [That is what my father told me].
She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
10 [So now I say], “My son, heed what I say. If you do that, you will live a [good] long life.
Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
11 I am teaching you the way to live wisely; I am showing you how to act justly [toward others].
I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
12 If you live wisely, when you decide to do something, you will succeed [LIT].
Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
13 Hold fast to the things I have taught you to do, and do not let them go. Guard them, because they [will be the source of a good] life.
Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
14 Do not do the things that wicked people do; [do not behave like they do]; do not even walk on the roads that evil [people] walk on [MET].
Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
15 Stay away from those roads; turn aside and walk on other roads;
Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
16 because evil people cannot sleep if they have not done some evil deed [on that day]. They cannot rest if they have not harmed someone.
For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.
17 What they eat and what they drink are things that they have obtained by acting wickedly and violently.”
They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
18 The behavior of good/righteous [people] is like the light [that begins to shine] at dawn and then [continues to] shine brighter until the brightest time of day.
But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
19 [But] the behavior of wicked [people] is like deep/thick darkness. [Because it is very dark], they cannot see the things that cause them to stumble.
The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
20 My son, pay attention to what I am saying. Listen to my words carefully.
My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
21 Keep them close to you; let them penetrate your inner being,
Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
22 because you will have [PRS] [a good] life and [good] health if you [search for them and] find them.
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
23 It is very important that you be careful about what you think, because what you think controls [MET] the things that you do.
With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
24 Do not say anything that deceives [others] and never say what is not true.
Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
25 Keep looking straight ahead toward the events that are before you, and do not turn aside.
Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
26 Plan carefully where you will go and what you will do, and then stay on that road. Then what you do will be right.
Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
27 Do not leave the straight road by turning to the left or to the right. [Do only what is right] and keep yourself from [doing what is] evil.
Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.
