 |  | Proverbs 4 |  |  |
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A Father’s Instruction | ||||
 NASB | KJV | GWT | WEB | DBY |
| 1 Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, | 1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. | 1 Sons, listen to [your] father's discipline, and pay attention in order to gain understanding. | 1 Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding; | 1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence; | 2 For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction. | 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. | 2 After all, I have taught you well. Do not abandon my teachings. | 2 for I give you sound learning. Don't forsake my law. | 2 for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law. | 3 When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of 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 boy [learning] from my father, when I was a tender and only child of my mother, | 3 For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother. | 3 For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother. | 4 Then he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live; | 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. | 4 they used to teach me and say to me, "Cling to my words wholeheartedly. Obey my commands so that you may live. | 4 He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live. | 4 And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live. | 5 Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. | 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. | 5 Acquire wisdom. Acquire understanding. Do not forget. Do not turn away from the words that I have spoken. | 5 Get wisdom. Get understanding. Don't forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth. | 5 Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. | NASB | KJV | GWT | WEB | DBY |
| 6 "Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. | 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. | 6 Do not abandon wisdom, and it will watch over you. Love wisdom, and it will protect you. | 6 Don't forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you. | 6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee. | 7 "The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. | 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. | 7 The beginning of wisdom is to acquire wisdom. Acquire understanding with all that you have. | 7 Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding. | 7 The beginning of wisdom is, Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence. | 8 "Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. | 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. | 8 Cherish wisdom. It will raise you up. It will bring you honor when you embrace it. | 8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her. | 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her. | 9 "She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty." | 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. | 9 It will give you a graceful garland for your head. It will hand you a beautiful crown." | 9 She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you." | 9 She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee. | 10 Hear, my son, and accept my sayings And the years of your life will be many. | 10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. | 10 My son, listen and accept my words, and they will multiply the years of your life. | 10 Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many. | 10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied. | NASB | KJV | GWT | WEB | DBY |
| 11 I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. | 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. | 11 I have taught you the way of wisdom. I have guided you along decent paths. | 11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths. | 11 I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness. | 12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble. | 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. | 12 When you walk, your stride will not be hampered. Even if you run, you will not stumble. | 12 When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble. | 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. | 13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. | 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. | 13 Cling to discipline. Do not relax your grip on it. Keep it because it is your life. | 13 Take firm hold of instruction. Don't 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. | 14 Do not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil men. | 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. | 14 Do not stray onto the path of wicked people. Do not walk in the way of evil people. | 14 Don't enter into the path of the wicked. Don't walk in the way of evil men. | 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men: | 15 Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on. | 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. | 15 Avoid it. Do not walk near it. Turn away from it, and keep on walking. | 15 Avoid it, and don't pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on. | 15 avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away. | NASB | KJV | GWT | WEB | DBY |
| 16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. | 16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. | 16 Wicked people cannot sleep unless they do wrong, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they make someone stumble. | 16 For they don't sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall. | 16 For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused some to fall. | 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence. | 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. | 17 They eat food obtained through wrongdoing and drink wine obtained through violence. | 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. | 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. | 18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. | 18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. | 18 But the path of righteous people is like the light of dawn that becomes brighter and brighter until it reaches midday. | 18 But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day. | 18 But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come. | 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. | 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. | 19 The way of wicked people is like deep darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. | 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don't know what they stumble over. | 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. | 20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. | 20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. | 20 My son, pay attention to my words. Open your ears to what I say. | 20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings. | 20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. | NASB | KJV | GWT | WEB | DBY |
| 21 Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. | 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. | 21 Do not lose sight of these things. Keep them deep within your heart | 21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. | 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart. | 22 For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. | 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. | 22 because they are life to those who find them and they heal the whole body. | 22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body. | 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. | 23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. | 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. | 23 Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it. | 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life. | 23 Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life. | 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you. | 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. | 24 Remove dishonesty from your mouth. Put deceptive speech far away from your lips. | 24 Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you. | 24 Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee. | 25 Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. | 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. | 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and your sight be focused in front of you. | 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you. | 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. | NASB | KJV | GWT | WEB | DBY |
| 26 Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. | 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. | 26 Carefully walk a straight path, and all your ways will be secure. | 26 Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established. | 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered. | 27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil. | 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. | 27 Do not lean to the right or to the left. Walk away from evil. | 27 Don't turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil. | 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil. |
<< Proverbs 4 >> New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. GOD'S WORD is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. The World English Bible is a 1997 revision of the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible, first published in 1901. It is in the Public Domain. Please feel free to copy and distribute it freely. Thank you to Michael Paul Johnson for making this work available. For the latest information, to report corrections, or for other correspondence, visit www.ebible.org. | ||||