A Father's Wise Instruction

¹fHear, O sons, a father's instruction,

and be attentive, that you may ggain1 insight,

²for I give you good hprecepts;

do not forsake my teaching.

³When I was a son with my father,

itender, jthe only one in the sight of my mother,

⁴he ktaught me and said to me,

l“Let your heart hold fast my words;

mkeep my commandments, and live.

⁵nGet wisdom; get ginsight;

do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

olove her, and she will guard you.

⁷pThe beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

and whatever you get, get ginsight.

⁸Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will qhonor you rif you embrace her.

⁹She will place on your head sa graceful garland;

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

¹⁰fHear, tmy son, and accept my words,

that uthe years of your life may be many.

¹¹I have vtaught you the way of wisdom;

I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

¹²When you walk, wyour step will not be hampered,

and xif you run, you will not stumble.

¹³yKeep hold of instruction; do not let go;

guard her, for she is your zlife.

¹⁴aDo not enter the path of the wicked,

and do not walk in the way of the evil.

¹⁵Avoid it; do not go on it;

turn away from it and pass on.

¹⁶For they bcannot sleep unless they have done wrong;

they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness

cand drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But dthe path of the righteous is like ethe light of dawn,

which shines fbrighter and brighter until gfull day.

¹⁹hThe way of the wicked is like deep idarkness;

they do not know over what they jstumble.

²⁰kMy son, be attentive to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

²¹lLet them not escape from your sight;

mkeep them within your heart.

²²For they are nlife to those who find them,

and healing to all their2 flesh.

²³Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for ofrom it flow pthe springs of life.

²⁴Put away from you qcrooked speech,

and put rdevious talk far from you.

²⁵sLet your eyes look directly forward,

and your gaze be straight before you.

²⁶tPonder3 the path of your feet;

uthen all your ways will be sure.

²⁷vDo not swerve to the right or to the left;

turn your foot away from evil.