Proverbs 4

1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

2 For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.

3 When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child of my mother,

4 he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them.

6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.

7 Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.

8 Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you.

9 She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”

10 Listen, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many.

11 I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.

12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble.

13 Hold on to instruction; do not let go. Guard it, for it is your life.

14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.

15 Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by.

16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.

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

18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart.

22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.

23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.

24 Put away deception from your mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech.

25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.

26 Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.

27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.

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

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

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

4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20 ¶ My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 Hearken, my children, unto the discipline of your father; take heed that ye learn and become wise.

2 For I give you good doctrine: forsake not my law.

3 For I was my father's son, a tender and a few before my mother,

4 And he taught me, saying, Let thine heart receive my words; keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.

5 Increase in wisdom, increase in understanding; forget not, and depart not from the speech of my mouth.

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

7 For the beginning of wisdom is to hear gladly, and to have prudence rather than all goods.

8 Esteem her highly, and she shall exalt thee; and she shall make thee honourable where thou hearest her.

9 She shall beautifully adorn thy head, and shall adorn thee with a fair crown.

10 Hear therefore, my child, and receive my words, and thy years shall be many.

11 I will lead thee in the way of wisdom; I will guide thee in the paths of righteousness,

12 That when thou walkest, thy walk be not sore unto thee; and when thou runnest, that thou bump not against thyself.

13 Take hold of discipline, leave it not: keep it, for it is thy life.

14 Come not into the path of the wicked, neither tread thou in the way of the evil.

15 Let him go, and go not in: depart from him, and pass by.

16 For they sleep not, because they have done evil: neither do they rest, because they have done evil.

17 For they feed on ungodly bread, and drink of the wine of iniquity.

18 But the path of the righteous shineth as the light that goeth forth, and shineth unto the full day.

19 But the way of the wicked is as darkness, and they know not whither they shall fall.

20 My son, hearken unto my word, and incline thine ear unto my speech.

21 Let them not depart from thine eyes: keep them in thine heart.

22 For they are life to them that find them, and health to their whole body.

23 Take heed to thine heart with all diligence: for out of it cometh life.

24 Put away from thee the perverse mouth, and let the blasphemer be far from thee.

25 Let thine eyes look straight before thee, and let thine eyelids look right before thee.

26 Let thy foot go straight before thee, and thou shalt surely go.

27 Wilt thou not turn to the right hand, nor to the left: turn thy foot from evil.