CHAPTER 4
1 Sons, hear ye the teaching of your father; and perceive ye, that ye know prudence.
2 I shall give to you a good gift; forsake ye not my law.
3 For why and I was the son of my father, a tender son, and one begotten, before my mother.
4 And my father taught me, and said, Thine heart receive my words; keep thou my behests, and thou shalt live.
5 Wield thou wisdom, wield thou prudence; forget thou not, neither bow thou away from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake thou not it, and it shall keep thee; love thou it, and it shall keep thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom, wield thou wisdom; and in all thy possession, get thou prudence.
8 Take thou it, and it shall enhance thee; thou shalt be glorified of it, when thou hast embraced it.
9 It shall give increasings of graces to thine head; and a noble crown shall defend thee.
10 My son, hear thou, and take my words; that the years of life be multiplied to thee.
11 I shall show to thee the way of wisdom; and I shall lead thee by the paths of equity.
12 Into which when thou hast entered, thy goings shall not be made strait; and thou shalt run, and shalt not have hurting.
13 Hold thou teaching, and forsake [thou] it not; keep thou it, for it is thy life.
14 Delight thou not in the paths of wicked men; and the way of evil men please not thee.
15 Flee thou from it, and pass thou not thereby; bow thou away, and forsake it.
16 For they sleep not, no but they have done evil; and sleep is ravished from them, no but they have deceived simple men.
17 They eat the bread of unpiety, and drink the wine of wickedness.
18 But the path of just [or rightwise] men goeth forth as light shining, and increaseth till to [a] perfect day.
19 The way of wicked men is dark; they know not where they shall fall.
20 My son, hearken thou to my words; and bow down thine ears to my speeches.
21 Go not they away from thine eyes; keep thou them in the middle of thine heart.
22 For those be life to men finding those, and health of all flesh.
23 With all keeping keep thine heart, for life cometh forth of it.
24 Remove thou a shrewd mouth from thee; and backbiting lips be far from thee.
25 Thine eyes see rightful [or right] things; and thine eyelids go before thy steps.
26 Address thou [the] paths to thy feet, and all thy ways shall be stablished.
27 Bow thou not to the right side, neither to the left side; turn away thy foot from evil.