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.
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 4: GW
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
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 Instruction
1Listen to my correction, my sons,
for I speak to you as your father. # 4:1 Read and study this entire chapter as though it were Jesus Christ speaking to you. He is the Father of Eternity, and we are called his sons. See Isa. 9:6–7 and Rev. 21:6–7.
Let discernment enter your heart
and you will grow wise with the understanding I impart.
2My revelation-truth # 4:2 Literally “Torah.” is a gift to you,
so remain faithful to my instruction.
3For I, too, was once the delight of my father # 4:3 See Matt. 17:5 and John 3:35.
and cherished by my mother—their beloved # 4:3 Or “unique.” See Luke 1–2. child.
4Then my father taught me, saying,
“Never forget my words.
If you do everything that I teach you, you will reign in life.” # 4:4 The lessons of wisdom are meant to be passed on from parents to children.
5So make wisdom your quest—
search for the revelation of life’s meaning.
Don’t let what I say go in one ear and out the other.
6Stick with wisdom and she will stick to you,
protecting you throughout your days.
She will rescue all those who passionately listen to her voice. # 4:6 It is not enough to acquire wisdom; we must love her and listen wholeheartedly to her instruction.
7Wisdom is the most valuable commodity—so buy it!
Revelation-knowledge is what you need—so invest in it!
8Wisdom will exalt you when you exalt her truth. # 4:8 The Septuagint says, “Build a fort for wisdom and she will lift you high.”
She will lead you to honor and favor
when you live your life by her insights.
9You will be adorned with beauty and grace, # 4:9 Literally “She will place a garland of grace on your head and a crown of beauty upon you.” A garland and a crown are metaphors for what is awarded a victor in a race. See 1 Cor. 9:24–25.
and wisdom’s glory will wrap itself around you, # 4:9 Or “wisdom’s laurel of glory shielding you.”
making you victorious in the race.
Two Pathways
10My son, if you will take the time to stop and listen to me
and embrace what I say,
you will live a long and happy life
full of understanding in every way.
11I have taken you by the hand in wisdom’s ways,
pointing you to the path of integrity.
12Your progress will have no limits when you come along with me,
and you will never stumble as you walk along the way.
13So receive my correction # 4:13 Wisdom will correct us and adjust our hearts to discipline. We must embrace the corrections of wisdom in order to mature spiritually. no matter how hard it is to swallow,
for wisdom will snap you back into place—
her words will be invigorating life to you.
14Do not detour into darkness or even set foot on that path.
15Stay away from it; don’t even go there!
16For troublemakers are restless if they are not involved in evil.
They are not satisfied until they have brought someone harm.
17They feed on darkness and drink
until they’re drunk on the wine of wickedness. # 4:17 Or “violence.”
18But the lovers of God walk on the highway of light, # 4:18 Or “the glow of sunlight.”
and their way shines brighter and brighter
until the perfect day.
19But the wicked walk in thick darkness,
like those who travel in fog,
and yet don’t have a clue why they keep stumbling!
Healing Words
20Listen carefully, my dear child, to everything that I teach you,
and pay attention to all that I have to say.
21Fill your thoughts with my words
until they penetrate deep into your spirit. # 4:21 See Col. 3:16.
22Then, as you unwrap my words, # 4:22 Or “discover my words.”
they will impart true life and radiant health
into the very core of your being.
23So above all, guard the affections of your heart, # 4:23 The Hebrew word levav is the most common word for “heart.” It includes our thoughts, our wills, our discernment, and our affections.
for they affect all that you are.
Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being,
for from there flows the wellspring # 4:23 Although most translations have “the issues of life,” the Hebrew word yasa is actually “seasons,” especially springtime. Out of your heart flow the seasons of life. It is our hearts, not our ages or circumstances, that shape the seasons of our lives. If our hearts are tender to God, we can live in perpetual springtime. of life.
24Avoid dishonest speech and pretentious words.
Be free from using perverse words no matter what!
Watch Where You’re Going
25Set your gaze on the path before you.
With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead,
ignore life’s distractions. # 4:25 Implied in the text. See Heb. 12:1–2.
26Watch where you’re going!
Stick to the path of truth,
and the road will be safe and smooth before you.
27Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment
or take the detour that leads to darkness.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation