Proverbs 4:4-14

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.

¹¹I shall show to thee the way of wisdom; and I shall lead thee by the paths of equity (or and I shall lead thee on the fair ways).

¹²Into which when thou hast entered, thy goings shall not be made strait; and thou shalt run, and shalt not have hurting (or and thou shalt not be caused to stumble).

¹³Hold thou (fast to my) teaching, and forsake thou it not; keep thou it (near), for it is thy life.

¹⁴Delight thou not in the paths of wicked men; and the way of evil men please not thee. (Delight thou not in the paths of the wicked; and do not let the ways of evil people please thee.)