Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.
Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
2 For good learning I have given to you, My law forsake not.
For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
3 For, a son I have been to my father — tender, And an only one before my mother.
For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,
4 And he directeth me, and he saith to me: 'Let thy heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding, Do not forget, nor turn away From the sayings of my mouth.
Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she doth preserve thee, Love her, and she doth keep thee.
Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
7 The first thing [is] wisdom — get wisdom, And with all thy getting get understanding.
Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
8 Exalt her, and she doth lift thee up, She honoureth thee, when thou dost embrace her.
Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
9 She giveth to thy head a wreath of grace, A crown of beauty she doth give thee freely.
She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And years of life [are] multiplied to thee.
Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
11 In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness.
I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
12 In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.
Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
13 Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] thy life.
Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
14 Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.
Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
15 Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.
Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
16 For they sleep not if they do not evil, And their sleep hath been taken violently away, If they cause not [some] to stumble.
For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
17 For they have eaten bread of wickedness, And wine of violence they drink.
For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
18 And the path of the righteous [is] as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established,
But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.
19 The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.
The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
20 My son, to my words give attention, To my sayings incline thine ear,
My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
21 Let them not turn aside from thine eyes, Preserve them in the midst of thy heart.
Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
22 For life they [are] to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing.
For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
23 Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life.
Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
24 Turn aside from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee,
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
25 Thine eyes do look straightforward, And thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
26 Ponder thou the path of thy feet, And all thy ways [are] established.
Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
27 Incline not [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!
Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
