Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to a father's instruction, and pay attention so you will know what understanding is.
Give ear, my sons, to the teaching of a father; give attention so that you may have knowledge:
2 I am giving you good instructions; do not forsake my teaching.
For I give you good teaching; do not give up the knowledge you are getting from me.
3 When I was a son of my father, the tender and only child of my mother,
For I was a son to my father, a gentle and an only one to my mother.
4 he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast to my words; keep my commands and live.
And he gave me teaching, saying to me, Keep my words in your heart; keep my rules so that you may have life:
5 Acquire wisdom and understanding; do not forget and do not reject the words of my mouth;
Get wisdom, get true knowledge; keep it in memory, do not be turned away from the words of my mouth.
6 do not abandon wisdom and she will watch over you; love her and she will keep you safe.
Do not give her up, and she will keep you; give her your love, and she will make you safe.
7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom and spend all you own so you can get understanding.
The first sign of wisdom is to get wisdom; go, give all you have to get true knowledge.
8 Cherish wisdom and she will exalt you; she will honor you when you embrace her.
Put her in a high place, and you will be lifted up by her; she will give you honour, when you give her your love.
9 She will put a wreath of honor on your head; she will give you a beautiful crown.”
She will put a crown of grace on your head, giving you a head-dress of glory.
10 Listen, my son, and pay attention to my words, and you will have many years in your life.
Give ear, O my son, and let your heart be open to my sayings; and long life will be yours.
11 I direct you in the way of wisdom; I lead you down straight paths.
I have given you teaching in the way of wisdom, guiding your steps in the straight way.
12 When you walk, no one will stand in your way and if you run, you will not stumble.
When you go, your way will not be narrow, and in running you will not have a fall.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it, for it is your life.
Take learning in your hands, do not let her go: keep her, for she is your life.
14 Do not follow the path of the wicked and do not go along the way of those who do evil.
Do not go in the road of sinners, or be walking in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it and go another way.
Keep far from it, do not go near; be turned from it, and go on your way.
16 For they cannot sleep until they do evil and they are robbed of sleep until they cause someone to stumble.
For they take no rest till they have done evil; their sleep is taken away if they have not been the cause of someone's fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
The bread of evil-doing is their food, the wine of violent acts their drink.
18 But the path of righteous people is like the first light that grows brighter; it shines more and more until the fullness of the day comes.
But the way of the upright is like the light of early morning, getting brighter and brighter till the full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness— they do not know what it is they stumble over.
The way of sinners is dark; they see not the cause of their fall.
20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
My son, give attention to my words; let your ear be turned to my sayings.
21 Do not let them turn away from your eyes; keep them in your heart.
Let them not go from your eyes; keep them deep in your heart.
22 For my words are life to those who find them and health to their whole body.
For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.
23 Keep your heart safe and guard it with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
And keep watch over your heart with all care; so you will have life.
24 Put crooked speech away from you and put corrupt talk far from you.
Put away from you an evil tongue, and let false lips be far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and fix your gaze straight before you.
Keep your eyes on what is in front of you, looking straight before you.
26 Make a level path for your foot; then all your ways will be secure.
Keep a watch on your behaviour; let all your ways be rightly ordered.
27 Do not turn aside to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil.
