Proverbs 4

¹ Give ear, my sons, to the teaching of a father; give attention so that you may have knowledge:

² For I give you good teaching; do not give up the knowledge you are getting from me.

³ For I was a son to my father, a gentle and an only one to my mother.

⁴ And he gave me teaching, saying to me, Keep my words in your heart; keep my rules so that you may have life:

⁵ Get wisdom, get true knowledge; keep it in memory, do not be turned away from the words of my mouth.

⁶ Do not give her up, and she will keep you; give her your love, and she will make you safe.

⁷ The first sign of wisdom is to get wisdom; go, give all you have to get true knowledge.

⁸ Put her in a high place, and you will be lifted up by her; she will give you honour, when you give her your love.

⁹ She will put a crown of grace on your head, giving you a head-dress of glory.

¹⁰ Give ear, O my son, and let your heart be open to my sayings; and long life will be yours.

¹¹ I have given you teaching in the way of wisdom, guiding your steps in the straight way.

¹² When you go, your way will not be narrow, and in running you will not have a fall.

¹³ Take learning in your hands, do not let her go: keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴ Do not go in the road of sinners, or be walking in the way of evil men.

¹⁵ Keep far from it, do not go near; be turned from it, and go on your way.

¹⁶ For they take no rest till they have done evil; their sleep is taken away if they have not been the cause of someone’s fall.

¹⁷ The bread of evil-doing is their food, the wine of violent acts their drink.

¹⁸ But the way of the upright is like the light of early morning, getting brighter and brighter till the full day.

¹⁹ The way of sinners is dark; they see not the cause of their fall.

²⁰ My son, give attention to my words; let your ear be turned to my sayings.

²¹ Let them not go from your eyes; keep them deep in your heart.

²² For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.

²³ And keep watch over your heart with all care; so you will have life.

²⁴ Put away from you an evil tongue, and let false lips be far from you.

²⁵ Keep your eyes on what is in front of you, looking straight before you.

²⁶ Keep a watch on your behaviour; let all your ways be rightly ordered.

²⁷ Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil.