Proverbs 4

1 Hear, ye sons, the correction of a father, and attend, that ye may know understanding.

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

2 For, good teaching, have I given you, mine instruction, do not ye forsake.

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

3 For, a son, became I to my father, tender and most precious in the sight of my mother.

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

4 So he taught me, and said to me—Let thy heart, lay hold of my words, Keep my commandments and 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 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, Do not forget, neither decline thou from the sayings of my mouth.

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

6 Do not forsake her, and she will guard thee, —love her and she will keep thee.

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

7 The principal thing, is wisdom, acquire thou wisdom, With all thine acquisition, acquire thou understanding.

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

8 Exalt her, and she will set thee on high, she will bring thee to honour, when thou dost 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 will give for thy head, a wreath of beauty, A crown of adorning, will she bestow upon thee.

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

10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and they will multiply to thee the years of life.

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

11 In the way of wisdom, have I taught thee, I have guided thee in tracks of uprightness.

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

12 When thou walkest, thy step shall not be hemmed in, and, if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

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

13 Take fast hold of correction, let her not go, —keep her, for, she, is thy life.

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

14 Upon the path of the lawless, do not thou enter, and do not advance in the way of the wicked:

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

15 Avoid it, do not pass thereon—turn from it, and depart.

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

16 For they sleep not, unless they can do mischief, —They rob themselves of their sleep, if they cannot cause someone to stumble,

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 For they consume bread gotten by lawlessness, and, wine obtained by violence, they drink.

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

18 But, the path of the righteous, is as the light of dawn, —going on and brightening, unto meridian 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 lawless, is like darkness, they know not, at what they stumble.

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

20 My son, to my words, attend, to my sayings, incline thou thine ear;

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

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

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

22 For, life, they are, to them who find them, —and, to every part of one’s flesh, they bring healing.

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

23 Above all that must be guarded, keep thou thy heart, for, out of it, are the issues of life.

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

24 Remove from thee, perverseness of mouth, and, craftiness of lips, put far from thee.

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

25 Let, thine eyes, right onward, look, —and, thine eyelashes, point straight before thee.

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

26 Make level the track of thy foot, that, all thy ways, may be directed aright:

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

27 Decline not, to the right hand or to the left, —Turn away thy foot from wickedness.

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