Proverbs 4:4-21

⁴And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live.

⁵Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

⁶Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee.

⁷The beginning of wisdom is, Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence.

⁸Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her.

⁹She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee.

¹⁰Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.

¹¹I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness.

¹²When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

¹³Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go: keep her, for she is thy life.

¹⁴Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men:

¹⁵avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away.

¹⁶For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused some to fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

²⁰My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.