Proverbs 4

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

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

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

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

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

For I was my father's son, tender and only [beloved] in the sight of my mother.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8 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.

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

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

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

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

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16 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.

For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause [some] to fall.

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

For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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