Proverbs 4

¹Hear, mysons, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding: ²For I give you good doctrine; forsake ye not my law. ³For I was a son unto my father, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. ⁴And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words; keep my commandments, and live: ⁵Get wisdom, get understanding; forget itnot, neither decline from the words of my mouth: ⁶Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee; love her, and she shall keep thee. ⁷Wisdom isthe principal thing; thereforeget wisdom: yea, with all thou hast gotten get understanding. ⁸Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. ⁹She shall give to thine head a chaplet of grace: a crown of beauty shall she deliver to thee. ¹⁰Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. ¹¹I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness. ¹²When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. ¹³Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. ¹⁴Enter not into the path of the wicked, and walk not in the way of evil men. ¹⁵Avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass on. ¹⁶For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. ¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. ¹⁸But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. ¹⁹The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. ²⁰My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. ²¹Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. ²²For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. ²³Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. ²⁴Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. ²⁵Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. ²⁶Make level the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. ²⁷Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.