Proverbs 4:1-10

¹Sons, hear ye the teaching of your father; and perceive ye (or and understand ye), (so) that ye know prudence.

²I shall give to you a good gift; forsake ye not my law. (I give you a good gift; do not ye abandon my instructions.)

³For 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.)

⁴And my father taught me, and said, Thine heart receive my words; keep thou my behests (or obey my commands), and thou shalt live.

⁵Wield thou wisdom, wield thou prudence; forget thou not, neither bow thou away from the words of my mouth.

⁶Forsake thou not it, and it shall keep thee (safe); love thou it, and it shall keep thee (safe).

⁷The 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.)

⁸Take 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.)

⁹It 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.)

¹⁰My son, hear thou, and take my words (to heart); (so) that the years of (thy) life be multiplied to thee.