Proverbs 4
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
For I give you a good gift; forsake you not my law.
3 For I also was my father’s son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
For I also was a son obedient to [my] father, and loved in the sight of [my] mother:
4 And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
who spoke and instructed me, [saying], Let our speech be fixed in your heart, keep [our] commandments, forget them not:
5 Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
and do not neglect the speech of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
And forsake it not, and it shall cleave to you: love it, and it shall keep you.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
8 Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
Secure it, and it shall exalt you: honour it, that it may embrace you;
9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
that it may give to your head a crown of graces, and may cover you with a crown of delight.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
Hear, [my] son, and receive my words; and the years of your life shall be increased, that the resources of your life may be many.
11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
For I teach you the ways of wisdom; and I cause you to go in right paths.
12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
For when you go, your steps shall not be straitened; and when you run, you shall not be distressed.
13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
Take hold of my instruction; let it not go, —but keep it for yourself for your life.
14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
Go not in the ways of the ungodly, neither covet the ways of transgressors.
15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
In whatever place they shall pitch their camp, go not there; but turn from them, and pass away.
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 can’t sleep, unless they have done evil: their sleep is taken away, and they rest not.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
For these live upon the bread of ungodliness, and are drunken with wine of transgression.
18 But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
But the ways of the righteous shine like light; they go on and shine, until the day be fully come.
19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble.
20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
[My] son, attend to my speech; and apply your ear to my words:
21 Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
that your fountains may not fail you; keep them in [your] heart.
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all [their] flesh.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
Keep your heart with the utmost care; for out of these are the issues of life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
Remove from you a froward mouth, and put far away from you unjust lips.
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
Let your eyes look right on, and let your eyelids assent [to] just [things].
26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
Make straight paths for your feet, and order your ways aright.
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.
Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left, but turn away your foot from an evil way.
