Book of Proverbs, Chapter 4
Proverbs 4 ASV - American Standard VersionChapter 4 of Proverbs—American Standard Version (ASV)
- ¶ Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father,
¶ And attend to know understanding: - ¶ For I give you good doctrine;
¶ Forsake ye not my [a]law. - ¶ For I was a son unto my father,
¶ Tender and [b]only beloved in the sight of my mother. - ¶ And he taught me, and said unto me:
¶ Let thy heart retain my words;
¶ Keep my commandments, and live; - ¶ Get wisdom, get understanding;
¶ Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth; - ¶ Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee;
¶ Love her, and she will keep thee. - ¶ [c]Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom;
¶ Yea, with all [d]thy getting get understanding. - ¶ Exalt her, and she will promote thee;
¶ She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. - ¶ She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace;
¶ A crown of [e]beauty will she deliver to thee. - ¶ Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;
¶ And the years of thy life shall be many. - ¶ I have taught thee in the way of wisdom;
¶ I have led thee in paths of uprightness. - ¶ When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;
¶ And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. - ¶ Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go:
¶ Keep her; for she is thy life. - ¶ Enter not into the path of the wicked,
¶ And walk not in the way of evil men. - ¶ Avoid it, pass not by it;
¶ Turn from it, and pass on. - ¶ For they sleep not, except they do evil;
¶ And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. - ¶ For they eat the bread of wickedness,
¶ And drink the wine of violence. - ¶ But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light,
¶ That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. - ¶ The way of the wicked is as darkness:
¶ They know not at what they stumble. - ¶ My son, attend to my words;
¶ Incline thine ear unto my sayings. - ¶ Let them not depart from thine eyes;
¶ Keep them in the midst of thy heart. - ¶ For they are life unto those that find them,
¶ And health to all their flesh. - ¶ Keep thy heart [f]with all diligence;
¶ For out of it are the issues of life. - ¶ Put away from thee a wayward mouth,
¶ And perverse lips put far from thee. - ¶ Let thine eyes look right on,
¶ And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. - ¶ [g]Make level the path of thy feet,
¶ And let all thy ways be [h]established. - ¶ Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:
¶ Remove thy foot from evil.
FOOTNOTES
- ^ Or, teaching
- ^ Hebrew an only one.
- ^ Or, The beginning of wisdom is, Get wisdom
- ^ Or, thou hast gotten
- ^ Or, glory
- ^ Or, above all that thou guardest
- ^ Or, Weigh carefully
- ^ Or, ordered aright
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