Proverbs 4

1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.

Give ear, my sons, to the teaching of a father; give attention so that you may have knowledge:

2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.

For I give you good teaching; do not give up the knowledge you are getting from me.

3 For I also was my father’s son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:

For I was a son to my father, a gentle and an only one to my mother.

4 And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.

And he gave me teaching, saying to me, Keep my words in your heart; keep my rules so that you may have life:

5 Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.

Get wisdom, get true knowledge; keep it in memory, do not be turned away from the words of my mouth.

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

Do not give her up, and she will keep you; give her your love, and she will make you safe.

7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.

The first sign of wisdom is to get wisdom; go, give all you have to get true knowledge.

8 Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.

Put her in a high place, and you will be lifted up by her; she will give you honour, when you give her your love.

9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.

She will put a crown of grace on your head, giving you a head-dress of glory.

10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.

Give ear, O my son, and let your heart be open to my sayings; and long life will be yours.

11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:

I have given you teaching in the way of wisdom, guiding your steps in the straight way.

12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.

When you go, your way will not be narrow, and in running you will not have a fall.

13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.

Take learning in your hands, do not let her go: keep her, for she is your life.

14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.

Do not go in the road of sinners, or be walking in the way of evil men.

15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.

Keep far from it, do not go near; be turned from it, and go on your way.

16 For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.

For they take no rest till they have done evil; their sleep is taken away if they have not been the cause of someone's fall.

17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.

The bread of evil-doing is their food, the wine of violent acts their drink.

18 But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.

But the way of the upright is like the light of early morning, getting brighter and brighter till the full day.

19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.

The way of sinners is dark; they see not the cause of their fall.

20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.

My son, give attention to my words; let your ear be turned to my sayings.

21 Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:

Let them not go from your eyes; keep them deep in your heart.

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

For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.

23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.

And keep watch over your heart with all care; so you will have life.

24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.

Put away from you an evil tongue, and let false lips be far from you.

25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.

Keep your eyes on what is in front of you, looking straight before you.

26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.

Keep a watch on your behaviour; let all your ways be rightly ordered.

27 Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.

Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil.