Proverbes 4

¹ Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: ² For I give you good doctrine; law. ³ For I was a son unto my father, only beloved in the sight of my mother. ⁴ And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live; ⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; ⁶ Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee. ⁷ __a__FOOTNOTE__a__ Proverbs 4:7 Or, The beginning of wisdom is, Get wisdom __b__FOOTNOTE__b__ Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; __a__FOOTNOTE__a__ Proverbs 4:7 Or, thou hast gotten __b__FOOTNOTE__b__ thy getting get understanding. ⁸ Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. ⁹ She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; beauty will she deliver to thee. ¹⁰ Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many. ¹¹ I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness. ¹² When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. ¹³ Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life. ¹⁴ Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men. ¹⁵ Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on. ¹⁶ For they sleep not, except they do evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. ¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. ¹⁸ But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. ¹⁹ The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble. ²⁰ My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. ²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. ²² For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. ²³ Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. ²⁴ Put away from thee a wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee. ²⁵ Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. ²⁶ __a__FOOTNOTE__a__ Proverbs 4:26 Or, Weigh carefully __b__FOOTNOTE__b__ Make level the path of thy feet, __a__FOOTNOTE__a__ Proverbs 4:26 Or, ordered aright __b__FOOTNOTE__b__ established. ²⁷ Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil.