Proverbs 4

1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

2 For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.

For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

3 When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child 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, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.

He taught me also, and said to me, Let thy heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them.

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.

Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.

7 Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

8 Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you.

Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

9 She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”

She shall give to thy head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

10 Listen, my son, and receive my words, and 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 will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.

I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble.

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be hindered; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

13 Hold on to instruction; do not let go. Guard it, for it is your life.

Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by.

Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until 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 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more to the perfect day.

19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.

The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

My son, attend to my words; incline thy ear to my sayings.

21 Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart.

Let them not depart from thy eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.

22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.

For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

24 Put away deception from your mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech.

Put away from thee a perverse mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.

Let thy eyes look right on, and let thy eyelids look straight before thee.

26 Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.

Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.