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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 NLT</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> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><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="../">NLT</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">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/proverbs/4.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">A Father’s Wise Advice</p><p class="line1"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>My children,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> listen when your father corrects you.</p><p class="line2">Pay attention and learn good judgment,</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>for I am giving you good guidance.</p><p class="line2">Don’t turn away from my instructions.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>For I, too, was once my father’s son,</p><p class="line2">tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>My father taught me,</p><p class="line1">“Take my words to heart.</p><p class="line2">Follow my commands, and you will live.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Get wisdom; develop good judgment.</p><p class="line2">Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.</p><p class="line2">Love her, and she will guard you.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!</p><p class="line2">And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.</p><p class="line2">Embrace her, and she will honor you.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>She will place a lovely wreath on your head;</p><p class="line2">she will present you with a beautiful crown.”</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>My child,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> listen to me and do as I say,</p><p class="line2">and you will have a long, good life.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>I will teach you wisdom’s ways</p><p class="line2">and lead you in straight paths.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>When you walk, you won’t be held back;</p><p class="line2">when you run, you won’t stumble.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.</p><p class="line2">Guard them, for they are the key to life.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Don’t do as the wicked do,</p><p class="line2">and don’t follow the path of evildoers.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.</p><p class="line2">Turn away and keep moving.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day.</p><p class="line2">They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>They eat the food of wickedness</p><p class="line2">and drink the wine of violence!</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,</p><p class="line2">which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.</p><p class="line2">They have no idea what they are stumbling over.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>My child, pay attention to what I say.</p><p class="line2">Listen carefully to my words.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Don’t lose sight of them.</p><p class="line2">Let them penetrate deep into your heart,</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>for they bring life to those who find them,</p><p class="line2">and healing to their whole body.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Guard your heart above all else,</p><p class="line2">for it determines the course of your life.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>Avoid all perverse talk;</p><p class="line2">stay away from corrupt speech.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Look straight ahead,</p><p class="line2">and fix your eyes on what lies before you.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Mark out a straight path for your feet;</p><p class="line2">stay on the safe path.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Don’t get sidetracked;</p><p class="line2">keep your feet from following evil.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">4:1 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">My sons.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">4:10 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">My son;</span><span class="ft"> also in 4:20.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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