Proverbs 4
4
Get Wisdom at Any Cost
1My sons, listen to a father’s teaching.
Pay attention and gain understanding.
2I give you good advice.
So don’t turn away from what I teach you.
3I, too, was once a young boy in my father’s house.
And my mother loved me deeply.
4Then my father taught me.
He said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart.
Keep my commands, and you will live.
5Get wisdom, and get understanding.
Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
6Stay close to wisdom, and she will keep you safe.
Love her, and she will watch over you.
7To start being wise you must first get wisdom.
No matter what it costs, get understanding.
8Value wisdom highly, and she will lift you up.
Hold her close, and she will honor you.
9She will set a beautiful crown on your head.
She will give you a glorious crown.”
10My son, listen. Accept what I say.
Then you will live for many years.
11I instruct you in the way of wisdom.
I lead you along straight paths.
12When you walk, nothing will slow you down.
When you run, you won’t trip and fall.
13Hold on to my teaching and don’t let it go.
Guard it well, because it is your life.
14Don’t take the path of evil people.
Don’t live the way sinners do.
15Stay away from their path and don’t travel on it.
Turn away from it and go on your way.
16Sinners can’t rest until they do what is evil.
They can’t sleep until they make someone sin.
17They do evil just as easily as they eat food.
They hurt others as easily as they drink wine.
18The path of those who do right is like the sun in the morning.
It shines brighter and brighter until the full light of day.
19But the way of those who do what is wrong is like deep darkness.
They don’t know what makes them trip and fall.
20My son, pay attention to what I say.
Listen closely to my words.
21Don’t let them out of your sight.
Keep them in your heart.
22They are life to those who find them.
They are health to a person’s whole body.
23Above everything else, guard your heart.
Everything you do comes from it.
24Don’t speak with twisted words.
Keep evil talk away from your lips.
25Let your eyes look straight ahead.
Keep looking right in front of you.
26Think carefully about the paths that your feet walk on.
Always choose the right ways.
27Don’t turn to the right or left.
Keep your feet from the path of evil.
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Proverbs 4
4
1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
2I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
3For I also was my father's son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
4And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
5Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
8Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
9She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
10Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
11I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
12Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
13Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
14Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
15Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
16For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.
17They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
18But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
19The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
20My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
22For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
23With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
24Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
25Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
26Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
27Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.