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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Proverbs 4 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/proverbs/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/proverbs/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ESV</a> > Proverbs 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../proverbs/3.htm" title="Proverbs 3">◄</a> Proverbs 4 <a href="../proverbs/5.htm" title="Proverbs 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/proverbs/4.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">A Father’s Wise Instruction</p><span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,</span><br /><span class="indent">and be attentive, that you may gain<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew know">a</a></sup></span> insight,</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">for I give you good precepts;</span><br /><span class="indent">do not forsake my teaching.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">When I was a son with my father,</span><br /><span class="indent">tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">he taught me and said to me,</span><br /><span class="ln-group">“Let your heart hold fast my words;</span><br /><span class="indent">keep my commandments, and live.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Get wisdom; get insight;</span><br /><span class="indent">do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;</span><br /><span class="indent">love her, and she will guard you.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,</span><br /><span class="indent">and whatever you get, get insight.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;</span><br /><span class="indent">she will honor you if you embrace her.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">She will place on your head a graceful garland;</span><br /><span class="indent">she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”</span></p> <p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Hear, my son, and accept my words,</span><br /><span class="indent">that the years of your life may be many.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">I have taught you the way of wisdom;</span><br /><span class="indent">I have led you in the paths of uprightness.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">When you walk, your step will not be hampered,</span><br /><span class="indent">and if you run, you will not stumble.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;</span><br /><span class="indent">guard her, for she is your life.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Do not enter the path of the wicked,</span><br /><span class="indent">and do not walk in the way of the evil.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Avoid it; do not go on it;</span><br /><span class="indent">turn away from it and pass on.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;</span><br /><span class="indent">they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">For they eat the bread of wickedness</span><br /><span class="indent">and drink the wine of violence.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,</span><br /><span class="indent">which shines brighter and brighter until full day.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;</span><br /><span class="indent">they do not know over what they stumble.</span></p> <p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">My son, be attentive to my words;</span><br /><span class="indent">incline your ear to my sayings.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Let them not escape from your sight;</span><br /><span class="indent">keep them within your heart.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">For they are life to those who find them,</span><br /><span class="indent">and healing to all their<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew his">b</a></sup></span> flesh.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Keep your heart with all vigilance,</span><br /><span class="indent">for from it flow the springs of life.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Put away from you crooked speech,</span><br /><span class="indent">and put devious talk far from you.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Let your eyes look directly forward,</span><br /><span class="indent">and your gaze be straight before you.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Ponder<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or Make level">c</a></sup></span> the path of your feet;</span><br /><span class="indent">then all your ways will be sure.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Do not swerve to the right or to the left;</span><br /><span class="indent">turn your foot away from evil.</span></p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">1</span> Hebrew <i>know</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">22</span> Hebrew <i>his</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">26</span> Or <i>Make level</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 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