Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
My children, listen to what I am teaching you. If you pay attention, you will understand what is wise.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
What I am teaching you is good, so do not turn away from it.
3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
When I was a young boy, loved by my mother,
4 He taught me also, and said to me, Let thy heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
my father told me, “Remember my words; if you obey my commandments, you will live [a long time].
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Obtain wisdom and understanding, and (do not abandon/hold fast to) [LIT] what I have taught you.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
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.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
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.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
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.
9 She shall give to thy head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
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].
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
[So now I say], “My son, heed what I say. If you do that, you will live a [good] long life.
11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
I am teaching you the way to live wisely; I am showing you how to act justly [toward others].
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be hindered; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
If you live wisely, when you decide to do something, you will succeed [LIT].
13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
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.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
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].
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Stay away from those roads; turn aside and walk on other roads;
16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
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.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
What they eat and what they drink are things that they have obtained by acting wickedly and violently.”
18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more to the perfect day.
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.
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
[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.
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thy ear to my sayings.
My son, pay attention to what I am saying. Listen to my words carefully.
21 Let them not depart from thy eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.
Keep them close to you; let them penetrate your inner being,
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
because you will have [PRS] [a good] life and [good] health if you [search for them and] find them.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
It is very important that you be careful about what you think, because what you think controls [MET] the things that you do.
24 Put away from thee a perverse mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Do not say anything that deceives [others] and never say what is not true.
25 Let thy eyes look right on, and let thy eyelids look straight before thee.
Keep looking straight ahead toward the events that are before you, and do not turn aside.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Plan carefully where you will go and what you will do, and then stay on that road. Then what you do will be right.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
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.
