Proverbs 4
1 Listen, sons, to a father's instruction, and pay attention so you will know what understanding is.
2 I am giving you good instructions; do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son of my father, the tender and only child of my mother,
4 he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast to my words; keep my commands and live.
5 Acquire wisdom and understanding; do not forget and do not reject the words of my mouth;
6 do not abandon wisdom and she will watch over you; love her and she will keep you safe.
7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom and spend all you own so you can get understanding.
8 Cherish wisdom and she will exalt you; she will honor you when you embrace her.
9 She will put a wreath of honor on your head; she will give you a beautiful crown.”
10 Listen, my son, and pay attention to my words, and you will have many years in your life.
11 I direct you in the way of wisdom; I lead you down straight paths.
12 When you walk, no one will stand in your way and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it, for it is your life.
14 Do not follow the path of the wicked and do not go along the way of those who do evil.
15 Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it and go another way.
16 For they cannot sleep until they do evil and they are robbed of sleep until they cause someone to stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of righteous people is like the first light that grows brighter; it shines more and more until the fullness of the day comes.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness— they do not know what it is they stumble over.
20 My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them turn away from your eyes; keep them in your heart.
22 For my words are life to those who find them and health to their whole body.
23 Keep your heart safe and guard it with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put crooked speech away from you and put corrupt talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and fix your gaze straight before you.
26 Make a level path for your foot; then all your ways will be secure.
27 Do not turn aside to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Cross-references
197
- 1Heb 2:1, Psa 34:11, Pro 1:8, Pro 2:1–5, 1Th 2:11–12, Pro 5:1, Pro 7:4, Pro 19:20
- 21Ti 4:6, Tit 1:9, Deu 32:2, Job 33:3, Pro 8:6–9, Psa 89:30–32, Jhn 7:16–17, Pro 22:20–21
- 31Ch 22:5, Rom 12:16, 1Ch 29:1, Zec 12:10, 1Ki 1:13–17, 2Sa 12:24–25, Jer 10:23, 1Ch 3:5
- 4Pro 3:1, Eph 6:4, Jhn 12:50, 1Ch 28:9, Pro 7:2, 2Ti 3:15, Deu 6:6, Isa 55:3
- 5Jas 1:5, Pro 3:13–18, 2Ch 34:2, Pro 1:22–23, Psa 44:18, Pro 17:16, Job 23:11, Pro 8:5
- 62Th 2:10, Pro 4:21–22, Eph 3:17, Pro 2:10–12
- 7Ecc 7:12, Ecc 9:16–18, Pro 23:23, Pro 16:16, Php 3:8, Mrk 8:36–37, Mat 13:44–46, Psa 119:104
- 8Dan 12:3, 1Sa 2:30, Pro 3:35, Pro 22:4, 1Ki 3:5–13
- 9Pro 1:9, 1Pe 5:4, Heb 2:7–9, Pro 16:31, Isa 28:5, Rev 3:21, 1Ti 2:9–10, Pro 3:22
- 101Th 2:13, Pro 3:2, Jer 9:20, Deu 6:2, Pro 3:16, Pro 8:10, Jhn 3:32–33, 1Ti 1:15
- 11Psa 25:4–5, Ecc 12:9, Pro 8:9, 1Sa 12:23–24, Pro 8:6, Psa 23:3, Deu 4:5, Pro 4:4
- 12Pro 3:23, Psa 18:36, 1Pe 2:8, Jhn 11:9–10, 2Sa 22:37, 1Jn 2:10–11, Psa 91:11–12, Psa 119:165
- 13Heb 2:1, Pro 3:18, Pro 23:23, Deu 32:47, 1Th 5:21, Act 11:23, Act 2:42, Jhn 6:68
- 14Psa 1:1, 1Co 15:33, Pro 1:10, Pro 1:15, Pro 13:20, Pro 9:6, Pro 2:11–12, Psa 26:4–5
- 15Eph 5:11, Job 22:23, 1Th 5:22, Job 11:14, Exo 23:7, Pro 5:8, Isa 33:15, Pro 6:5
- 16Psa 36:4, Mic 2:1, Isa 57:20, 2Pe 2:14, Pro 1:16, Luk 22:66, Jhn 18:28
- 17Pro 9:17, Pro 20:17, Psa 14:4, Mic 6:12, Jas 5:4–5, Job 24:5–6, Mat 23:13, Jer 5:26–28
- 18Jhn 8:12, Job 11:17, Dan 12:3, Php 2:15, 2Co 3:18, 2Pe 1:19, Mat 5:14, Psa 84:7
- 19Jhn 12:35, Isa 59:9–10, Job 18:5–6, Jer 23:12, 1Sa 2:9, Jer 13:16, Job 12:25, Mat 7:23
- 20Pro 5:1, Isa 55:3, Pro 7:1, Pro 6:20–21, Psa 78:1, Psa 90:12, Mat 17:5
- 21Pro 3:21, Pro 3:3, Pro 7:1–2, Psa 40:8, Pro 2:1
- 22Pro 12:18, Jer 33:6, Pro 4:10, Pro 3:8, Pro 4:4
- 23Luk 6:45, Mat 12:34–35, Mrk 7:21–23, Psa 139:23–24, Pro 13:3, Jer 17:9, Mat 15:19, Pro 23:19
- 24Pro 8:8, Jas 1:26, Pro 8:13, Pro 6:12, Eph 4:25–31, Jas 1:21, 1Pe 2:1, Col 3:8
- 25Psa 119:37, Mat 6:22, Job 31:1, Pro 23:33, Pro 23:5
- 26Heb 12:13, Psa 37:23, Psa 119:5, Hag 1:5, 2Th 3:3, Hag 1:7, Pro 5:21, Psa 119:59
- 27Deu 5:32, Jos 1:7, Deu 28:14, Pro 16:17, Deu 12:32, Rom 12:9, Isa 1:16