Pro 4 | ABEn | STEP | Hear, O children, the instruction of a father, and take heed to know insight!

Proverbs 4

CHAPTER 4 Hear! Take Heed! Take Hold!

1 Hear, O children, the instruction of a father, and take heed to know insight! 2 [⁵gift ¹For ⁴a good ²I present ³to you]; [³my ⁴word ¹you should not ²abandon]. 3 [⁴a son ¹For ²I was ³also ⁶to a father ⁵subject], and being loved in the presence of a mother; 4 the ones who spoke and taught me, saying, Establish our word in your heart! Keep the commandments! Do not forget! 5 Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! You should not forget, nor should you ignore the saying of my mouth; nor should you turn aside from the words of my mouth. 6 You should not abandon it, for it shall hold to you. Love it passionately! and it will keep you. 7 [²is the beginning ¹Wisdom], acquire wisdom! And in all of your possessing acquire understanding! 8 Surround her with a rampart! and she shall exalt you. Esteem her! that she should keep you; 9 that she should give [³to ⁴your ⁵head ¹a crown ²of favors], [⁴with a crown ¹and ⁵of luxury ²should shield ³you]. 10 Hear, O son, and receive my words! and [³will be multiplied ⁴to you ¹years ²of your life], that to you there should be many ways of life. 11 For the ways of wisdom I teach you; [²I put ⁴on board ¹and ³you ⁶tracks ⁵straight]. 12 For when you should go [³will not ⁴be hemmed in ¹your ²footsteps]; and when you should run, you shall not tire. 13 Take hold of my instruction! you should not let go; but keep it to yourself, for your life! 14 [³ways ²by impious ¹You should not come], nor be jealous of the ways of lawbreakers.

The Ways of Lawbreakers Versus the Just

15 In what ever place they should encamp, you should not come there. Turn aside from them and alter course! 16 [³not ¹For ²they shall] sleep, unless they should have done evil. [²is removed ¹Sleep] from them, and they do not go to bed. 17 For thus they feed well on grain of impiety; and by wine of a lawbreaker they are intoxicated. 18 But the ways of the just are likened to light -- they radiate. They go before and give light until whenever [³should set up ¹the ²day]. 19 But the ways of the impious are dark; they do not know how they stumble. 20 O son, [²to my ³saying ¹take heed], and to my words set aside your ear! 21 so that [²should not ³fail ⁴you ¹your springs]. Keep them in your heart! 22 [³life ¹for ²they are] to all the ones finding them, and [²to all ³flesh ¹ healing]. 23 With all guard, give heed to your heart! for from out of these things are the issues of life. 24 Remove yourself from a crooked mouth, and [²unjust ³lips ⁴far ⁵from ⁶you ¹thrust away]! 25 [²your eyes ⁴straight ¹Let ³see], and your eyelids nod assent to the just! 26 [²straight ³tracks ¹Make] for your feet, and [²your ways ¹straighten out]! 27 You should not turn aside unto the right nor unto the left; but turn your foot from [²way ¹an evil]! For the ways, the ones of the right, [²knows ¹God]; but the ones perverting are of the left; but he [³straight ¹makes ²your tracks], and [²your goings ³in ⁴peace ¹he shall lead before].