Proverbs 4:2-20

²What I am teaching you is good, so do not turn away from it.

³When I was a young boy, loved by my mother,

⁴my father told me, “Remember my words; if you obey my commandments, you will live a long time.

⁵Obtain wisdom and understanding, and ◄do not abandon/hold fast to► LIT what I have taught you.

⁶Do not turn away from wisdom, because if you are wise, you will be protected from all evil/danger. If you love wisdom, wisdom PRS will guard you.

⁷The most important thing that you can do is to get wisdom. Even if you obtain many other things, the best thing is to know what things are wise.

⁸If you consider being wise to be very valuable, people will think very highly of you. If you cling to wisdom like you would cling to a woman you love, many people will honor you.

⁹If you become wise, that will for you be like a beautiful wreath that is put {someone puts} on your head; it will be like a king's glorious crown.” That is what my father told me.

¹⁰So now I say, “My son, heed what I say. If you do that, you will live a good long life.

¹¹I am teaching you the way to live wisely; I am showing you ow to act justly toward others.

¹²If you live wisely, when you decide to do something, you will succeed LIT.

¹³Hold fast to the things I have taught you to do, and do not let them go. Guard them, because they will be the source of a good life.

¹⁴Do not do the things that wicked people do; do not behave like they do; do not even walk on the roads that evil people walk on MET.

¹⁵Stay away from those roads; turn aside and walk on other roads;

¹⁶because evil people cannot sleep if they have not done some evil deed on that day. They cannot rest if they have not harmed someone.

¹⁷What they eat and what they drink are things that they have obtained by acting wickedly and violently.”

¹⁸The behavior of good/righteous people is like the light that begins to shine at dawn and then continues to shine brighter until the brightest time of day.

¹⁹But the behavior of wicked people is like deep/thick darkness. Because it is very dark, they cannot see the things that cause them to stumble.

²⁰My son, pay attention to what I am saying. Listen to my words carefully.