Proverbs 4

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Hear, O children, a father's instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding!	1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.
2 Yes, excellent advice I give you; my teaching do not forsake.	2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
3 When I was my father's child, frail, yet the darling of my mother,	3 For I also was my father's son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
4 He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart hold fast my words: keep my commands, that you may live!	4 And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
5 "Get wisdom, get understanding! Do not forget or turn aside from the words I utter.	5 Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will safeguard you;	6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom; at the cost of all you have, get understanding.	7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
8 Extol her, and she will exalt you; she will bring you honors if you embrace her;	8 Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
9 She will put on your head a graceful diadem; a glorious crown will she bestow on you."	9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life shall be many.	10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
11 On the way of wisdom I direct you, I lead you on straightforward paths.	11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
12 When you walk, your step will not be impeded, and should you run, you will not stumble.	12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
13 Hold fast to instruction, never let her go; keep her, for she is your life.	13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
14 The path of the wicked enter not, walk not on the way of evil men;	14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
15 Shun it, cross it not, turn aside from it, and pass on.	15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
16 For they cannot rest unless they have done evil; to have made no one stumble steals away their sleep.	16 For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.	17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
18 But the path of the just is like shining light, that grows in brilliance till perfect day.	18 But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; they know not on what they stumble.	19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
20 My son, to my words be attentive, to my sayings incline your ear;	20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not slip out of your sight, keep them within your heart;	21 Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
22 For they are life to those who find them, to man's whole being they are health.	22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
23 With closest custody, guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life.	23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
24 Put away from you dishonest talk, deceitful speech put far from you.	24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and your glance be directly forward.	25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
26 Survey the path for your feet, and let all your ways be sure.	26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
27 Turn neither to right nor to left, keep your foot far from evil.	27 Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.