4 aHear, ye children, the instruction of a father,

And attend to know bunderstanding.

2  For I give you good cdoctrine,

Forsake ye not my law.

3  For I was my father’s son,

dTender and eonly beloved in the sight of my mother.

4  fHe taught me also, and said unto me,

Let thine heart retain my words:

gKeep my commandments, and live.

5  hiGet wisdom, iget bunderstanding:

Forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

6  Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee:

jLove her, and she shall keep thee.

7  Wisdom is kthe principal thing; therefore iget wisdom:

And with all thy getting iget bunderstanding.

8  Exalt her, and she shall promote thee:

She shall lbring thee to honour, when thou dost membrace her.

9  She shall give to thine head nan ornament of grace:

||A crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

10  Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;

And othe years of thy life shall be many.

11  pI have taught thee in the way of wisdom;

I have led thee in right paths.

12  When thou goest, qthy steps shall not be straitened;

And rwhen thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

13  sTake fast hold of instruction; slet her not go:

Keep her; for she is thy life.

14  tEnter not into the path of the wicked,

And ugo not in the way of evil men.

15  xAvoid it, pass not by it,

yTurn from it, and pass away.

16  zFor 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  aBut the path of the just is bas the shining light,

That shineth cmore and more unto the perfect day.

19  dThe way of the wicked is as darkness:

They know not eat what they stumble.

20  eeMy son, attend to my words;

Incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21  fLet them not depart from thine eyes;

gKeep them in the midst of thine heart.

22  For they are hlife unto those that find them,

And †health to all their flesh.

23  Keep thy heart †with all diligence;

iFor out of it are kthe issues of life.

24  Put away from thee †a lfroward mouth,

And mperverse lips put far from thee.

25  Let thine eyes look right on,

And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

26  nPonder the path of thy feet,

And ||let all thy ways be established.

27  oTurn not to the right hand nor to the left:

pRemove thy foot from evil.