Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;
Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
2 for I give you sound learning. Don’t forsake my law.
For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
3 For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.
For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare 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.
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. Don’t forget, and don’t deviate from the words of my mouth.
Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
6 Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.
Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
7 Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor when you embrace her.
Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
9 She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you.”
She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
10 Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.
Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.
I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
12 When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.
Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
13 Take firm hold of instruction. Don’t let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.
Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
14 Don’t enter into the path of the wicked. Don’t walk in the way of evil men.
Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
15 Avoid it, and don’t pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.
Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
16 For they don’t sleep unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.
For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light that shines more and more until the perfect day.
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 like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.
The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart.
Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
24 Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.
Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
26 Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.
Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
27 Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.
Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
