Proverbs 4

Chapter 4

A Father’s Instruction

¹Hear, O sons, the ^ainstruction of a father,

And ^bgive attention that you may ¹gain understanding,

²For I give you ¹sound ^ateaching;

^bDo not abandon my ²instruction.

³When I was a son to my father,

^aTender and ^bthe only son in the sight of my mother,

⁴Then he ^ataught me and said to me,

“Let your heart ^bhold fast my words;

^cKeep my commandments and live;

^5aAcquire wisdom! ^bAcquire understanding!

Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁶“Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;

^aLove her, and she will watch over you.

⁷“^aThe ¹beginning of wisdom is: ^bAcquire wisdom;

And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

⁸“^aPrize her, and she will exalt you;

She will honor you if you embrace her.

⁹“She will place ^aon your head a garland of grace;

She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

¹⁰Hear, my son, and ^aaccept my sayings

And the ^byears of your life will be many.

¹¹I have ^adirected you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in upright paths.

¹²When you walk, your ^asteps will not be impeded;

And if you run, you ^bwill not stumble.

^13aTake hold of instruction; do not let go.

Guard her, for she is your ^blife.

^14aDo not enter the path of the wicked

And do not proceed in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, do not pass by it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁶For they ^acannot sleep unless they do evil;

And ¹they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

¹⁷For they ^aeat the bread of wickedness

And drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the ^apath of the righteous is like the ^blight of dawn,

That ^cshines brighter and brighter until the ^dfull day.

¹⁹The ^away of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know over what they ^1bstumble.

²⁰My son, ^agive attention to my words;

^bIncline your ear to my sayings.

^21aDo not let them depart from your sight;

^bKeep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are ^alife to those who find them

And ^bhealth to all ¹their body.

²³Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For ^afrom it flow the springs of life.

²⁴Put away from you a ^adeceitful mouth

And ^bput devious ¹speech far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look directly ahead

And let your ¹gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

^26aWatch the path of your feet

And all your ^bways will be established.

^27aDo not turn to the right nor to the left;

^bTurn your foot from evil.