Proverbs 4

1 My children, listen to what I am teaching you. If you pay attention, you will understand what is wise.

Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.

2 What I am teaching you is good, so do not turn away from it.

For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.

3 When I was a young boy, loved by my mother,

For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,

4 my father told me, “Remember my words; if you obey my commandments, you will live [a long time].

When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.

5 Obtain wisdom and understanding, and (do not abandon/hold fast to) [LIT] what I have taught you.

Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.

6 Do not turn away from wisdom, because if you are wise, you will be protected [from all evil/danger]. If you love wisdom, wisdom [PRS] will guard you.

Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.

7 The most important thing that you can do is to get wisdom. Even if you obtain many other things, the best thing is to know what things are wise.

Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.

8 If you consider being wise to be very valuable, [people] will think very highly of you. If you cling to wisdom [like you would cling to a woman you love], [many people] will honor you.

Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.

9 If you become wise, that will for you be [like] a beautiful wreath that is put {someone puts} on your head; it will be [like] a king’s glorious crown.” [That is what my father told me].

She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.

10 [So now I say], “My son, heed what I say. If you do that, you will live a [good] long life.

Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.

11 I am teaching you the way to live wisely; I am showing you how to act justly [toward others].

I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.

12 If you live wisely, when you decide to do something, you will succeed [LIT].

Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.

13 Hold fast to the things I have taught you to do, and do not let them go. Guard them, because they [will be the source of a good] life.

Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.

14 Do not do the things that wicked people do; [do not behave like they do]; do not even walk on the roads that evil [people] walk on [MET].

Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.

15 Stay away from those roads; turn aside and walk on other roads;

Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.

16 because evil people cannot sleep if they have not done some evil deed [on that day]. They cannot rest if they have not harmed someone.

For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.

17 What they eat and what they drink are things that they have obtained by acting wickedly and violently.”

For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.

18 The behavior of good/righteous [people] is like the light [that begins to shine] at dawn and then [continues to] shine brighter until the brightest time of day.

But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.

19 [But] the behavior of wicked [people] is like deep/thick darkness. [Because it is very dark], they cannot see the things that cause them to stumble.

The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.

20 My son, pay attention to what I am saying. Listen to my words carefully.

My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.

21 Keep them close to you; let them penetrate your inner being,

Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.

22 because you will have [PRS] [a good] life and [good] health if you [search for them and] find them.

For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.

23 It is very important that you be careful about what you think, because what you think controls [MET] the things that you do.

Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.

24 Do not say anything that deceives [others] and never say what is not true.

Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.

25 Keep looking straight ahead toward the events that are before you, and do not turn aside.

Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.

26 Plan carefully where you will go and what you will do, and then stay on that road. Then what you do will be right.

Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.

27 Do not leave the straight road by turning to the left or to the right. [Do only what is right] and keep yourself from [doing what is] evil.

Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.