Proverbs 4
4
A Father’s Wise Advice
1My children,#4:1 Hebrew My sons. listen when your father corrects you.
Pay attention and learn good judgment,
2for I am giving you good guidance.
Don’t turn away from my instructions.
3For I, too, was once my father’s son,
tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.
4My father taught me,
“Take my words to heart.
Follow my commands, and you will live.
5Get wisdom; develop good judgment.
Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
6Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
Love her, and she will guard you.
7Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
8If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.
Embrace her, and she will honor you.
9She will place a lovely wreath on your head;
she will present you with a beautiful crown.”
10My child,#4:10 Hebrew My son; also in 4:20. listen to me and do as I say,
and you will have a long, good life.
11I will teach you wisdom’s ways
and lead you in straight paths.
12When you walk, you won’t be held back;
when you run, you won’t stumble.
13Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.
Guard them, for they are the key to life.
14Don’t do as the wicked do,
and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
15Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.
Turn away and keep moving.
16For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day.
They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
17They eat the food of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence!
18The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
19But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.
They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
20My child, pay attention to what I say.
Listen carefully to my words.
21Don’t lose sight of them.
Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22for they bring life to those who find them,
and healing to their whole body.
23Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.
24Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.
25Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
27Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.
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Proverbs 4: NLT
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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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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