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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//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 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></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" 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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">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">Advice to Young People</h3><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_1"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.1" class="v20_4_1">1</span>My child, listen closely</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_1">to my teachings</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_1">and learn common sense.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_2"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.2" class="v20_4_2">2</span>My advice is useful,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_2">so don't turn away.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_3"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.3" class="v20_4_3">3</span>When I was still very young</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_3">and my mother's favorite child,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_3">my father </span><span class="v20_4_4"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.4" class="v20_4_4">4</span>said to me:</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_4">“If you follow my teachings</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_4">and keep them in mind,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_4">you will live.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_5"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.5" class="v20_4_5">5</span>Be wise and learn good sense;</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_5">remember my teachings</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_5">and do what I say.</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_6"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.6" class="v20_4_6">6</span>“If you love Wisdom</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_6">and don't reject her,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_6">she will watch over you.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_7"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.7" class="v20_4_7">7</span>The best thing about Wisdom</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_7">is Wisdom herself;</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_7">good sense is more important</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_7">than anything else.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_8"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.8" class="v20_4_8">8</span>If you value Wisdom</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_8">and hold tightly to her,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_8">great honors will be yours.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_9"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.9" class="v20_4_9">9</span>It will be like wearing</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_9">a glorious crown</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_9">of beautiful flowers.”</span></p><h3 class="s1">The Right Way and the Wrong Way</h3><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_10"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.10" class="v20_4_10">10</span>My child, if you listen</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_10">and obey my teachings,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_10">you will live a long time.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_11"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.11" class="v20_4_11">11</span>I have shown you the way</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_11">that makes sense;</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_11">I have guided you</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_11">along the right path.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_12"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.12" class="v20_4_12">12</span>Your road won't be blocked,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_12">and you won't stumble</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_12">when you run.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_13"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.13" class="v20_4_13">13</span>Hold firmly to my teaching</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_13">and never let go.</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_13">It will mean life for you.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_14"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.14" class="v20_4_14">14</span>Don't follow the bad example</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_14">of cruel and evil people.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_15"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.15" class="v20_4_15">15</span>Turn aside and keep going.</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_15">Stay away from them.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_16"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.16" class="v20_4_16">16</span>They can't sleep or rest</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_16">until they do wrong or harm</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_16">some innocent victim.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_17"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.17" class="v20_4_17">17</span>Their food and drink</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_17">are cruelty and wickedness.</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_18"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.18" class="v20_4_18">18</span>The lifestyle of good people</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_18">is like sunlight at dawn</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_18">that keeps getting brighter</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_18">until broad daylight.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_19"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.19" class="v20_4_19">19</span>The lifestyle of the wicked</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_19">is like total darkness,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_19">and they will never know</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_19">what makes them stumble.</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_20"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.20" class="v20_4_20">20</span>My child, listen carefully</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_20">to everything I say.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_21"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.21" class="v20_4_21">21</span>Don't forget a single word,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_21">but think about it all.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_22"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.22" class="v20_4_22">22</span>Knowing these teachings</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_22">will mean true life</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_22">and good health for you.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_23"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.23" class="v20_4_23">23</span>Carefully guard your thoughts</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_23">because they are the source</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_23">of true life.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_24"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.24" class="v20_4_24">24</span>Never tell lies or be deceitful</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_24">in what you say.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_25"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.25" class="v20_4_25">25</span>Keep looking straight ahead,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_25">without turning aside.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_26"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.26" class="v20_4_26">26</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Prov.4.26!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Know where you are headed,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_26">and you will stay</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_26">on solid ground.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v20_4_27"><span class="reftext" id="Prov.4.27" class="v20_4_27">27</span>Don't make a mistake by turning</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v20_4_27">to the right or the left.</span></p> </div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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