Proverbs 4
1 My children, listen to what I am teaching you. If you pay attention, you will understand what is wise.
Hear, ye sons, the correction of a father, and attend, that ye may know understanding.
2 What I am teaching you is good, so do not turn away from it.
For, good teaching, have I given you, mine instruction, do not ye forsake.
3 When I was a young boy, loved by my mother,
For, a son, became I to my father, tender and most precious 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].
So he taught me, and said to me—Let thy heart, lay hold of my words, Keep my commandments and live!
5 Obtain wisdom and understanding, and (do not abandon/hold fast to) [LIT] what I have taught you.
Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, Do not forget, neither decline thou from the sayings 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.
Do not forsake her, and she will guard thee, —love her and she will keep 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 principal thing, is wisdom, acquire thou wisdom, With all thine acquisition, acquire thou understanding.
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.
Exalt her, and she will set thee on high, she will bring thee to honour, when thou dost 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 will give for thy head, a wreath of beauty, A crown of adorning, will she bestow upon thee.
10 [So now I say], “My son, heed what I say. If you do that, you will live a [good] long life.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and they will multiply to thee the years of life.
11 I am teaching you the way to live wisely; I am showing you how to act justly [toward others].
In the way of wisdom, have I taught thee, I have guided thee in tracks of uprightness.
12 If you live wisely, when you decide to do something, you will succeed [LIT].
When thou walkest, thy step shall not be hemmed in, and, if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
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 fast hold of correction, let her not go, —keep her, for, she, 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].
Upon the path of the lawless, do not thou enter, and do not advance in the way of the wicked:
15 Stay away from those roads; turn aside and walk on other roads;
Avoid it, do not pass thereon—turn from it, and depart.
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, unless they can do mischief, —They rob themselves of their sleep, if they cannot cause someone to stumble,
17 What they eat and what they drink are things that they have obtained by acting wickedly and violently.”
For they consume bread gotten by lawlessness, and, wine obtained by violence, they drink.
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 righteous, is as the light of dawn, —going on and brightening, unto meridian 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 lawless, is like darkness, they know not, at what they stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to what I am saying. Listen to my words carefully.
My son, to my words, attend, to my sayings, incline thou thine ear;
21 Keep them close to you; let them penetrate your inner being,
Let them not depart from thine 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, life, they are, to them who find them, —and, to every part of one’s flesh, they bring healing.
23 It is very important that you be careful about what you think, because what you think controls [MET] the things that you do.
Above all that must be guarded, keep thou thy heart, for, out of it, are the issues of life.
24 Do not say anything that deceives [others] and never say what is not true.
Remove from thee, perverseness of mouth, and, craftiness of lips, put far from thee.
25 Keep looking straight ahead toward the events that are before you, and do not turn aside.
Let, thine eyes, right onward, look, —and, thine eyelashes, point straight before thee.
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 level the track of thy foot, that, all thy ways, may be directed aright:
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 or to the left, —Turn away thy foot from wickedness.
