Proverbs 4
4
Cherish Wisdom
1Sons,
listen to ⌞your⌟ father’s discipline,
and pay attention in order to gain understanding.
2After all, I have taught you well.
Do not abandon my teachings.
3When I was a boy ⌞learning⌟ from my father,
when I was a tender and only child of my mother,
4they used to teach me and say to me,
“Cling to my words wholeheartedly.
Obey my commands so that you may live.
5Acquire wisdom.
Acquire understanding.
Do not forget.
Do not turn away from the words that I have spoken.
6Do not abandon wisdom, and it will watch over you.
Love wisdom, and it will protect you.
7The beginning of wisdom is to acquire wisdom.
Acquire understanding with all that you have.
8Cherish wisdom.
It will raise you up.
It will bring you honor when you embrace it.
9It will give you a graceful garland for your head.
It will hand you a beautiful crown.”
Stay on the Path of Wisdom
10My son,
listen and accept my words,
and they will multiply the years of your life.
11I have taught you the way of wisdom.
I have guided you along decent paths.
12When you walk, your stride will not be hampered.
Even if you run, you will not stumble.
13Cling to discipline.
Do not relax your grip on it.
Keep it because it is your life.
14Do not stray onto the path of wicked people.
Do not walk in the way of evil people.
15Avoid it.
Do not walk near it.
Turn away from it,
and keep on walking.
16Wicked people cannot sleep
unless they do wrong,
and they are robbed of their sleep
unless they make someone stumble.
17They eat food obtained through wrongdoing
and drink wine obtained through violence.
18But the path of righteous people is like the light of dawn
that becomes brighter and brighter until it reaches midday.
19The way of wicked people is like deep darkness.
They do not know what makes them stumble.
Stay Focused on Wisdom
20My son,
pay attention to my words.
Open your ears to what I say.
21Do not lose sight of these things.
Keep them deep within your heart
22because they are life to those who find them
and they heal the whole body.
23Guard your heart more than anything else,
because the source of your life flows from it.
24Remove dishonesty from your mouth.
Put deceptive speech far away from your lips.
25Let your eyes look straight ahead
and your sight be focused in front of you.
26Carefully walk a straight path,
and all your ways will be secure.
27Do not lean to the right or to the left.
Walk away from evil.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 4
4
Your Life Is at Stake
1-2Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice;
sit up and take notice so you’ll know how to live.
I’m giving you good counsel;
don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.
3-9When I was a boy at my father’s knee,
the pride and joy of my mother,
He would sit me down and drill me:
“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!
Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!
Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!
Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;
never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.
She’ll garland your life with grace,
she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”
10-15Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys,
or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip.
Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don’t take Wicked Bypass;
don’t so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
Make a detour and be on your way.
16-17Evil people are restless
unless they’re making trouble;
They can’t get a good night’s sleep
unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody.
Perversity is their food and drink,
violence their drug of choice.
18-19The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.
Learn It by Heart
20-22Dear friend, listen well to my words;
tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
body and soul, they’re bursting with health.
23-27Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.