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
A Father’s Wise Instruction
1 # ch. 1:8; [ch. 5:7; 7:24; 8:33; Ps. 34:11] Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may #ch. 2:2gain#4:1 Hebrew know insight,
2for I give you good #Job 11:4precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
3When I was a son with my father,
# See 1 Chr. 22:5 tender, #Zech. 12:10the only one in the sight of my mother,
4he #1 Chr. 28:9; [Eph. 6:4] taught me and said to me,
# [ch. 3:1] “Let your heart hold fast my words;
# ch. 7:2; Lev. 18:5; Isa. 55:3 keep my commandments, and live.
5 # ch. 2:2 Get wisdom; get #[See ver. 1 above]insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
# [2 Thess. 2:10] love her, and she will guard you.
7 # [ch. 1:7] The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get #[See ver. 1 above]insight.
8Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will #1 Sam. 2:30 honor you #[Song 2:6]if you embrace her.
9She will place on your head #ch. 1:9a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
10 # [See ver. 1 above] Hear, #ch. 2:1 my son, and accept my words,
that #See ch. 3:2the years of your life may be many.
11I have #See 1 Sam. 12:23taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
12When you walk, #[Job 18:7; Ps. 18:36; 119:45] your step will not be hampered,
and #ch. 3:23if you run, you will not stumble.
13 # ch. 3:18 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your #ver. 22; [John 1:4; 1 John 5:12]life.
14 # ch. 1:15; Ps. 1:1 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16For they #[Ps. 36:4]cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17For they eat the bread of wickedness
# [Amos 2:8] and drink the wine of violence.
18But #Job 11:17; 22:28; Isa. 60:3; 62:1, 2; Dan. 12:3 the path of the righteous is like #2 Sam. 23:4; See Ps. 97:11 the light of dawn,
which shines #[Ps. 84:7] brighter and brighter until #[1 John 3:2]full day.
19 #
1 Sam. 2:9; Isa. 59:9, 10; Jer. 23:12; John 12:35; [Job 18:5] The way of the wicked is like deep #[Matt. 6:23] darkness;
they do not know over what they #[John 11:10; 1 John 2:10]stumble.
20 # ver. 10 My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 # ch. 3:21 Let them not escape from your sight;
# [ch. 2:1] keep them within your heart.
22For they are #ver. 13; ch. 8:35; 21:21; Deut. 32:47; [1 Tim. 4:8]life to those who find them,
and healing to all their#4:22 Hebrew his flesh.
23Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for #[Matt. 12:35] from it flow #[Ps. 16:11]the springs of life.
24Put away from you #ch. 6:12 crooked speech,
and put #ch. 2:15devious talk far from you.
25 # [Heb. 12:2] Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
26 # ch. 5:6, 21; [Heb. 12:13] Ponder#4:26 Or Make level the path of your feet;
# [Ps. 119:5] then all your ways will be sure.
27 #
Deut. 5:32; 28:14; Josh. 1:7; 1 Kgs. 15:5 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
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