Proverbs 4

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

¹ Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

¹ Hear, O sons, the ^(A)instruction of a father,And ^(B)give attention that you may ^(a)gain understanding,

¹ Listen, my sons, to a father’s discipline,^(A)and pay attention so that you may gain understanding,

¹ Listen, children, to your father's instruction, and pay attention in order to gain understanding.

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

³ For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

³ When I was a son to my father,^(E)Tender and ^(F)the only son in the sight of my mother,

³ When I was a son with my father,tender and precious to my mother,

³ When I was a son to my father, not yet strong and an only son to my mother,

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

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

^{5 (J)}Acquire wisdom! ^(K)Acquire understanding!Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;^(D)don’t forget or turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁵ Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget or turn aside from the words of my mouth!

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

⁷ Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

⁷ “^(M)The ^(d)beginning of wisdom is: ^(N)Acquire wisdom;And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

⁷ Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom.And whatever else you get, get understanding.^(F)

⁷ Wisdom is of utmost importance, therefore get wisdom, and with all your effort work to acquire understanding.

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

⁹ She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

⁹ “She will place ^(P)on your head a garland of grace;She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

⁹ She will place a garland of grace on your head;she will give you a crown of beauty.”^(H)

⁹ She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will present to you a crown of beauty."

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

¹¹ I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

¹¹ I have ^(S)directed you in the way of wisdom;I have led you in upright paths.

¹¹ I am teaching you the way of wisdom;I am guiding you on straight paths.^(K)

¹¹ I have directed you in the way of wisdom, and I have led you along straight paths.

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

¹³ Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

^{13 (V)}Take hold of instruction; do not let go.Guard her, for she is your ^(W)life.

¹³ Hold on to instruction; don’t let go.^(N)Guard it, for it is your life.

¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go! Guard wisdom, because she is your life!

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

¹⁵ Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

¹⁵ Avoid it, do not pass by it;Turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁵ Avoid it; don’t travel on it.Turn away from it, and pass it by.

¹⁵ Avoid it! Don't travel on it! Turn away from it, and pass on by.

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

¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁷ For they ^(Z)eat the bread of wickednessAnd drink the wine of violence.

¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickednessand drink the wine of violence.

¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness, and they drink the wine of violence.

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

¹⁹ The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

¹⁹ The ^(AE)way of the wicked is like darkness;They do not know over what they ^(f)(AF)stumble.

¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;^(R)they don’t know what makes them stumble.^(S)

¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness, and they do not know what they are stumbling over.

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

²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

^{21 (AI)}Do not let them depart from your sight;^(AJ)Keep them in the midst of your heart.

²¹ Don’t lose sight of them;^(U)keep them within your heart.

²¹ Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart.

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

²³ Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

²³ Watch over your heart with all diligence,For ^(AM)from it flow the springs of life.

²³ Guard your heart above all else,^(a)for it is the source of life.^(V)

²³ Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life.

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

²⁵ Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

²⁵ Let your eyes look directly aheadAnd let your ⁽ⁱ⁾gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

²⁵ Let your eyes look forward;fix your gaze^(b) straight ahead.^(X)

²⁵ Let your eyes look directly ahead; fix your gaze straight in front of you.

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

²⁷ Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

^{27 (AR)}Do not turn to the right nor to the left;^(AS)Turn your foot from evil.

²⁷ Don’t turn to the right or to the left;^(Z)keep your feet away from evil.

²⁷ Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.