Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;
Listen, sons, to the discipline of a father, and pay attention, so that you may know prudence.
2 for I give you sound learning. Don’t forsake my law.
I will bestow upon you a good gift. Do not relinquish my law.
3 For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.
For I, too, was the son of my father, tender and an only son 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.
And he taught me, and he also said: “Let your heart accept my words. Keep my precepts, and you shall live.
5 Get wisdom. Get understanding. Don’t forget, and don’t deviate from the words of my mouth.
Obtain wisdom, obtain prudence. May you neither forget, nor turn away from, the words of my mouth.
6 Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.
Do not send her away, and she will guard you. Love her, and she will preserve you.
7 Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
The beginning of wisdom is to obtain wisdom, and, with all that you possess, to acquire prudence.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honour when you embrace her.
Grasp her, and she will exalt you. You will be glorified by her, when you have embraced her.
9 She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendour to you.”
She will bestow upon your head an increase in graces, and she will protect you with a noble crown.
10 Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.
Listen, my son, and accept my words, so that years of life may be multiplied for you.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.
I will demonstrate to you the way of wisdom. I will lead you along the paths of equity.
12 When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.
When you have entered by these, your steps will not be constrained, and when running, you will have no obstacle.
13 Take firm hold of instruction. Don’t let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.
Take hold of discipline. Do not dismiss it. Guard it, for it is your life.
14 Don’t enter into the path of the wicked. Don’t walk in the way of evil men.
Do not delight in the paths of the impious, nor permit the way of evil-doers to please you.
15 Avoid it, and don’t pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.
Take flight from it. Do not pass close to it. Turn away and abandon it.
16 For they don’t sleep unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.
For they do not sleep, unless they have done evil. And their sleep is quickly taken away from them, unless they have overthrown.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
They eat the bread of impiety, and they drink the wine of iniquity.
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 like a shining light: it advances and increases, even to the day of completion.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.
The way of the impious is darkened. They do not know where they may fall.
20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
My son, pay attention to my sermons, and incline your ear to my eloquent words.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the centre of your heart.
Let them not recede from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
For they are life to those who find them and health to all that is flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
Preserve your heart with all watchfulness, for life proceeds from this.
24 Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.
Remove from yourself a corrupt mouth, and let detracting lips be far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, and let your eyelids precede your steps.
26 Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.
Direct the path of your feet, and all your ways shall be secure.
27 Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.
Turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left; yet turn your foot away from evil. For the Lord knows the ways that are on the right, and truly, those that are on the left are perverse. But he himself will make your courses straight. Then your journey will advance in peace.
