Proverbs 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Proverbs 4 ▼
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English Standard Version
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1 Sons, listen to [your] father's discipline, and pay attention in order to gain understanding. Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
2 After all, I have taught you well. Do not abandon my teachings. for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a boy [learning] from my father, when I was a tender and only child of my mother, When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 they used to teach me and say to me, |Cling to my words wholeheartedly. Obey my commands so that you may live. he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Acquire wisdom. Acquire understanding. Do not forget. Do not turn away from the words that I have spoken. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not abandon wisdom, and it will watch over you. Love wisdom, and it will protect you. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is to acquire wisdom. Acquire understanding with all that you have. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8 Cherish wisdom. It will raise you up. It will bring you honor when you embrace it. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 It will give you a graceful garland for your head. It will hand you a beautiful crown.| She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”
10 My son, listen and accept my words, and they will multiply the years of your life. Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom. I have guided you along decent paths. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
12 When you walk, your stride will not be hampered. Even if you run, you will not stumble. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Cling to discipline. Do not relax your grip on it. Keep it because it is your life. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
14 Do not stray onto the path of wicked people. Do not walk in the way of evil people. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.
15 Avoid it. Do not walk near it. Turn away from it, and keep on walking. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
16 Wicked people cannot sleep unless they do wrong, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they make someone stumble. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat food obtained through wrongdoing and drink wine obtained through violence. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of righteous people is like the light of dawn that becomes brighter and brighter until it reaches midday. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 The way of wicked people is like deep darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to my words. Open your ears to what I say. My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.
21 Do not lose sight of these things. Keep them deep within your heart Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22 because they are life to those who find them and they heal the whole body. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.
23 Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
24 Remove dishonesty from your mouth. Put deceptive speech far away from your lips. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and your sight be focused in front of you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Carefully walk a straight path, and all your ways will be secure. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not lean to the right or to the left. Walk away from evil. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
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