Proverbs 4

A Father’s Example

4Listen, my sons, to a father’s discipline, ^s

and pay attention so that you may gain understanding,

²for I am giving you good instruction. ^t

Don’t abandon my teaching.

³When I was a son with my father,

tender and precious to my mother,

⁴he taught me and said:

“Your heart must hold on to my words.

Keep my commands and live. ^u

⁵Get wisdom, get understanding; ^v

don’t forget or turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁶Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you;

love her, ^wand she will guard you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom.

And whatever else you get, get understanding. ^x

⁸Cherish her, and she will exalt you;

if you embrace her, she will honor you. ^y

⁹She will place a garland of grace on your head;

she will give you a crown of beauty.” ^z

Two Ways of Life

¹⁰Listen, my son. Accept my words, ^a

and you will live many years. ^b

¹¹I am teaching you the way of wisdom;

I am guiding you on straight paths. ^c

¹²When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; ^d

when you run, you will not stumble. ^e

¹³Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. ^f

Guard it, for it is your life.

¹⁴Don’t set foot on the path of the wicked; ^g

don’t proceed in the way of evil ones.

¹⁵Avoid it; don’t travel on it.

Turn away from it, and pass it by.

¹⁶For they can’t sleep

unless they have done what is evil;

they are robbed of sleep

unless they make someone stumble. ^h

¹⁷They eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, ⁱ

shining brighter and brighter until midday.

¹⁹But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; ^j

they don’t know what makes them stumble. ^k

The Straight Path

²⁰My son, pay attention to my words;

listen closely to my sayings. ^l

²¹Don’t lose sight of them; ^m

keep them within your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them,

and health to one’s whole body.

²³Guard your heart above all else, ⁿ

for it is the source of life. ^o

²⁴Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, ^p

and don’t let your lips talk deviously.

²⁵Let your eyes look forward;

fix your gaze ^qstraight ahead. ^r

²⁶Carefully consider the path ^sfor your feet, ^t

and all your ways will be established.

²⁷Don’t turn to the right or to the left; ^u

keep your feet away from evil.