Pro 4 | NASB1995 | STEP | Hear , O sons , the instruction of a father , And give attention that you may gain understanding ,

Proverbs 4

A Father’s Instruction

1 Hear, O sons, the ^ainstruction of a father,
And ^bgive attention that you may ^{▼▼ Lit know}gain understanding,
2 For I give you ^{▼▼ Lit good}sound ^eteaching;
^fDo not abandon my ^{▼▼ Or law}instruction.
3 When I was a son to my father,
^hTender and ⁱthe only son in the sight of my mother,
4 Then he ^jtaught me and said to me,
“Let your heart ^khold fast my words;
^lKeep my commandments and live;
5 ^mAcquire wisdom! ⁿAcquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;
^oLove her, and she will watch over you.
7 ^p“The ^{▼▼ Or the primary thing is wisdom}beginning of wisdom is: ^rAcquire wisdom;
And with all your acquiring, get understanding.
8 ^s“Prize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.
9 “She will place ^ton your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

10 Hear, my son, and ^uaccept my sayings
And the ^vyears of your life will be many.
11 I have ^wdirected you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.
12 When you walk, your ^xsteps will not be impeded;
And if you run, you ^ywill not stumble.
13 ^zTake hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your ^aalife.
14 ^abDo not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they ^accannot sleep unless they do evil;
And ^{▼▼ Lit their sleep is robbed}they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
17 For they ^aeeat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the ^afpath of the righteous is like the ^aglight of dawn,
That ^ahshines brighter and brighter until the ^aifull day.
19 The ^ajway of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they ^{▼▼ Or may stumble
,} ^alstumble.

20 My son, ^amgive attention to my words;
^anIncline your ear to my sayings.
21 ^aoDo not let them depart from your sight;
^apKeep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are ^aqlife to those who find them
And ^arhealth to all ^{▼▼ Lit his}their body.
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For ^atfrom it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you a ^audeceitful mouth
And ^avput devious ^{▼▼ Or lips}speech far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your ^{▼▼ Or eyelids}gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
26 ^ayWatch the path of your feet
And all your ^azways will be established.
27 ^baDo not turn to the right nor to the left;
^bbTurn your foot from evil.