Proverbs 4

¹ Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding:

² For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law.

³ For I was a son unto my father, Tender and 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 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all 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; A crown of 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 Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established.

²⁷ Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil.