Proverbs 4

Common English Bible

4 Hear, children, fatherly instruction;
    pay attention to gain understanding.
² I’ll teach you well.
    Don’t abandon my instruction.
³ When I was a son to my father,
    tender and my mother’s favorite,
⁴     he taught me and said to me:
“Let your heart hold on to my words:
    Keep my commands and live.
⁵ Get wisdom; get understanding.
    Don’t forget and don’t turn away from my words.
⁶ Don’t abandon her, and she will guard you.
    Love her, and she will protect you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom:
Get wisdom!
    Get understanding before anything else.
⁸ Highly esteem her, and she will exalt you.
    She will honor you if you embrace her.
⁹ She will place a graceful wreath on your head;
    she will give you a glorious crown.”

¹⁰ Listen, my son, and take in my speech,
    then the years of your life will be many.
¹¹ I teach you the path of wisdom.
    I lead you in straight courses.
¹² When you walk, you won’t be hindered;
    when you run, you won’t stumble.
¹³ Hold on to instruction; don’t slack off;
    protect it, for it is your life.
¹⁴ Don’t go on the way of the wicked;
    don’t walk on the path of evil people.
¹⁵ Avoid it! Don’t turn onto it;
    stay off of it and keep going!
¹⁶ They don’t sleep unless they do evil;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
¹⁷ They eat the bread of evil,
    and they drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸ The way of the righteous is like morning light
    that gets brighter and brighter till it is full day.
¹⁹ The path of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they don’t know where they will stumble.

²⁰ My son, pay attention to my words.
    Bend your ear to my speech.
²¹ Don’t let them slip from your sight.
    Guard them in your mind.
²² They are life to those who find them,
    and healing for their entire body.
²³ More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.
²⁴ Have nothing to do with a corrupt mouth;
    keep devious lips far from you.
²⁵ Focus your eyes straight ahead;
    keep your gaze on what is in front of you.
²⁶ Watch your feet on the way,
    and all your paths will be secure.
²⁷ Don’t deviate a bit to the right or the left;
    turn your feet away from evil.