Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to a father's instruction, and pay attention so you will know what understanding is.
Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;
2 I am giving you good instructions; do not forsake my teaching.
for I give you sound 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 was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.
4 he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast to my words; keep my commands and live.
He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, 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, neither swerve 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 forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.
7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom and spend all you own so you can get understanding.
Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
8 Cherish wisdom and she will exalt you; she will honor you when you embrace her.
Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her.
9 She will put a wreath of honor on your head; she will give you a beautiful crown.”
She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you."
10 Listen, my son, and pay attention to my words, and you will have many years in your life.
Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.
11 I direct you in the way of wisdom; I lead you down straight paths.
I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.
12 When you walk, no one will stand in your way and if you run, you will not stumble.
When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it, for it is your life.
Take firm hold of instruction. 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 enter into the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it and go another way.
Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn 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, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the 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.
But the path of the righteous is like a shining light, that shines brighter and brighter until 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 the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.
20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them turn away from your eyes; keep them in your heart.
Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep 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 him who finds them, and health to all of his body.
23 Keep your heart safe and guard it with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
24 Put crooked speech away from you and put corrupt talk far from you.
Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and fix your gaze straight before you.
Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make a level path for your foot; then all your ways will be secure.
Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.
27 Do not turn aside to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Do not turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.
