Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to a father's instruction, and pay attention so you will know what understanding is.
Hear, you sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
2 I am giving you good instructions; do not forsake my teaching.
For I have given to you good learning, do not forsake my law.
3 When I was a son of my father, the tender and only child of my mother,
For I have been a son to my father—tender, And an only one before 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 directs me, and he says to me: “Let your heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
5 Acquire wisdom and understanding; do not forget and do not reject the words of my mouth;
Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
6 do not abandon wisdom and she will watch over you; love her and she will keep you safe.
Do not forsake her, and she preserves you, Love her, and she keeps you.
7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom and spend all you own so you can get understanding.
The first thing [is] wisdom—get wisdom, And with all your getting get understanding.
8 Cherish wisdom and she will exalt you; she will honor you when you embrace her.
Exalt her and she lifts you up, She honors you when you embrace her.
9 She will put a wreath of honor on your head; she will give you a beautiful crown.”
She gives a wreath of grace to your head, She gives you a crown of beauty freely.”
10 Listen, my son, and pay attention to my words, and you will have many years in your life.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to you.
11 I direct you in the way of wisdom; I lead you down straight paths.
I have directed you in a way of wisdom, I have caused you to tread in paths of uprightness.
12 When you walk, no one will stand in your way and if you run, you will not stumble.
In your walking your step is not restricted, And if you run, you do not stumble.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it, for it is your life.
Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, 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 enter into the path of the wicked, And do not be blessed in a way of evildoers.
15 Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it and go another way.
Avoid it, do not pass over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep until they do evil and they are robbed of sleep until they cause someone to stumble.
For they do not sleep if they do no evil, And their sleep has been taken away violently, If they do not cause [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 they drink wine of violence.
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.
And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening until the day is established,
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness— they do not know what it is they stumble over.
The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
My son, give attention to my words, Incline your ear to my sayings,
21 Do not let them turn away from your eyes; keep them in your heart.
Do not let them turn aside from your eyes, Preserve them in the midst of your heart.
22 For my words are life to those who find them and health to their whole body.
For they [are] life to those finding them, And healing to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart safe and guard it with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
Above every charge keep your heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
24 Put crooked speech away from you and put corrupt talk far from you.
Turn aside a contrary mouth from you, And put perverse lips far from you,
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and fix your gaze straight before you.
Your eyes look straightforward, And your eyelids look straight before you.
26 Make a level path for your foot; then all your ways will be secure.
Ponder the path of your feet, And all your ways [are] established.
27 Do not turn aside to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Do not incline [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside your foot from evil!
