Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;
HEAR, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 for I give you sound learning. Don’t forsake my law.
For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.
For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.
He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom. Get understanding. Don’t forget, and don’t deviate from the words of my mouth.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.
Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honour when you embrace her.
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendour to you.”
She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
10 Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
12 When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take firm hold of instruction. Don’t let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.
Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14 Don’t enter into the path of the wicked. Don’t walk in the way of evil men.
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, and don’t pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
16 For they don’t sleep unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.
For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to 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 the righteous is like the dawning light that shines more and more until the perfect day.
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the centre of your heart.
Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27 Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
