Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;
Hear, ye sons, the correction of a father, and attend, that ye may know understanding.
2 for I give you sound learning. Don’t forsake my law.
For, good teaching, have I given you, mine instruction, do not ye forsake.
3 For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.
For, a son, became I to my father, tender and most precious 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.
So he taught me, and said to me—Let thy heart, lay hold of 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.
Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, Do not forget, neither decline thou from the sayings of my mouth.
6 Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.
Do not forsake her, and she will guard thee, —love her and she will keep thee.
7 Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
The principal thing, is wisdom, acquire thou wisdom, With all thine acquisition, acquire thou understanding.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor when you embrace her.
Exalt her, and she will set thee on high, she will 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 splendor to you.”
She will give for thy head, a wreath of beauty, A crown of adorning, will she bestow upon thee.
10 Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.
Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and they will multiply to thee the years of life.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.
In the way of wisdom, have I taught thee, I have guided thee in tracks of uprightness.
12 When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.
When thou walkest, thy step shall not be hemmed in, and, if 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 correction, 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.
Upon the path of the lawless, do not thou enter, and do not advance in the way of the wicked:
15 Avoid it, and don’t pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.
Avoid it, do not pass thereon—turn from it, and depart.
16 For they don’t sleep unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.
For they sleep not, unless they can do mischief, —They rob themselves of their sleep, if they cannot cause someone to stumble,
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
For they consume bread gotten by lawlessness, and, wine obtained by violence, they drink.
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 righteous, is as the light of dawn, —going on and brightening, unto meridian day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.
The way of the lawless, is like darkness, they know not, at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
My son, to my words, attend, to my sayings, incline thou thine ear;
21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart.
Let them not depart from thine eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
For, life, they are, to them who find them, —and, to every part of one’s flesh, they bring healing.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
Above all that must be guarded, keep thou thy heart, for, out of it, are the issues of life.
24 Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.
Remove from thee, perverseness of mouth, and, craftiness of lips, put far from thee.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.
Let, thine eyes, right onward, look, —and, thine eyelashes, point straight before thee.
26 Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.
Make level the track of thy foot, that, all thy ways, may be directed aright:
27 Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.
Decline not, to the right hand or to the left, —Turn away thy foot from wickedness.
