Proverbs 4
1 Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
Listen, sons, to the discipline of a father, and pay attention, so that you may know prudence.
2 For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
I will bestow upon you a good gift. Do not relinquish my law.
3 For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,
For I, too, was the son of my father, tender and an only son in the sight of my mother.
4 When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.
And he taught me, and he also said: “Let your heart accept my words. Keep my precepts, and you shall live.
5 Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
Obtain wisdom, obtain prudence. May you neither forget, nor turn away from, the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
Do not send her away, and she will guard you. Love her, and she will preserve you.
7 Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
The beginning of wisdom is to obtain wisdom, and, with all that you possess, to acquire prudence.
8 Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
Grasp her, and she will exalt you. You will be glorified by her, when you have embraced her.
9 She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
She will bestow upon your head an increase in graces, and she will protect you with a noble crown.
10 Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
Listen, my son, and accept my words, so that years of life may be multiplied for you.
11 I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
I will demonstrate to you the way of wisdom. I will lead you along the paths of equity.
12 Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
When you have entered by these, your steps will not be constrained, and when running, you will have no obstacle.
13 Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
Take hold of discipline. Do not dismiss it. Guard it, for it is your life.
14 Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
Do not delight in the paths of the impious, nor permit the way of evil-doers to please you.
15 Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
Take flight from it. Do not pass close to it. Turn away and abandon it.
16 For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
For they do not sleep, unless they have done evil. And their sleep is quickly taken away from them, unless they have overthrown.
17 For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
They eat the bread of impiety, and they drink the wine of iniquity.
18 But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.
But the path of the just is like a shining light: it advances and increases, even to the day of completion.
19 The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
The way of the impious is darkened. They do not know where they may fall.
20 My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
My son, pay attention to my sermons, and incline your ear to my eloquent words.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
Let them not recede from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
For they are life to those who find them and health to all that is flesh.
23 Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
Preserve your heart with all watchfulness, for life proceeds from this.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
Remove from yourself a corrupt mouth, and let detracting lips be far from you.
25 Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, and let your eyelids precede your steps.
26 Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
Direct the path of your feet, and all your ways shall be secure.
27 Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
Turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left; yet turn your foot away from evil. For the Lord knows the ways that are on the right, and truly, those that are on the left are perverse. But he himself will make your courses straight. Then your journey will advance in peace.
