CHAPTER 4
1 Sons, hear ye the teaching of your father; and perceive ye (or and understand ye), (so) that ye know prudence.
2 I shall give to you a good gift; forsake ye not my law. (I give you a good gift; do not ye abandon my instructions.)
3 For why and I was the son of my father, a tender son, and one begotten, before my mother. (For I was my father’s son, a tender son, and my mother’s only child.)
4 And my father taught me, and said, Thine heart receive my words; keep thou my behests (or obey my commands), and thou shalt live.
5 Wield thou wisdom, wield thou prudence; forget thou not, neither bow thou away from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake thou not it, and it shall keep thee (safe); love thou it, and it shall keep thee (safe).
7 The beginning of wisdom, wield thou wisdom; and in all thy possession, get thou prudence. (The beginning of wisdom, is that thou first obtain wisdom; and among all thy possessions, of greatest importance is that thou get understanding.)
8 Take thou it, and it shall enhance thee; thou shalt be glorified of it, when thou hast embraced it. (Receive thou it into thy heart, and it shall advance thee, or shall promote thee, or raise thee up; thou shalt be honoured, when thou hast embraced it.)
9 It shall give increasings of graces to thine head; and a noble crown shall defend thee. (It shall bring many favours upon thee; and they shall adorn thee like a noble crown.)
10 My son, hear thou, and take my words (to heart); (so) that the years of (thy) life be multiplied to thee.
11 I shall show to thee the way of wisdom; and I shall lead thee by the paths of equity (or and I shall lead thee on the fair ways).
12 Into which when thou hast entered, thy goings shall not be made strait; and thou shalt run, and shalt not have hurting (or and thou shalt not be caused to stumble).
13 Hold thou (fast to my) teaching, and forsake [thou] it not; keep thou it (near), for it is thy life.
14 Delight thou not in the paths of wicked men; and the way of evil men please not thee. (Delight thou not in the paths of the wicked; and do not let the ways of evil people please thee.)
15 Flee thou from it, and pass thou not thereby; bow thou away, and forsake it.
16 For they sleep not, no but they have done evil; and sleep is ravished from them, no but they have deceived simple men. (For they do not sleep, unless first they have done some evil; and sleep is taken from them, unless first they have deceived those who be honest, or have integrity.)
17 They eat the bread of unpiety, and drink the wine of wickedness. (They eat evil bread, and drink wicked wine.)
18 But the path of just men goeth forth as light shining (or But the path of the righteous goeth forth like a shining light), and increaseth till to perfect day.
19 The way of wicked men is dark (or The way of the wicked is dark); they know not where, (or when), they shall fall.
20 My son, hearken thou (to) my words; and bow down thine ears to my speeches.
21 Go not they away from thine eyes (or Let them not go away from thine eyes); keep thou them in the middle of thine heart.
22 For those be life to men finding those, and health of all flesh. (For they be life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.)
23 With all (safe) keeping keep thine heart (safe), for life cometh forth of it (or for life cometh forth from it).
24 Remove thou a shrewd mouth from thee (or Do not thou speak depraved things); and backbiting lips be far from thee.
25 Thine eyes see rightful things; and thine eyelids go before thy steps.
26 (Ad)dress thou [the] paths to thy feet (or Direct thou the steps of thy feet), and all thy ways shall be stablished.
27 Bow thou not to the right side, neither to the left side; turn away thy foot from evil.