Proverbs 4

A Father’s Wise Advice

¹ My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, ² for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions. ³ For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.

⁴ My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live. ⁵ Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. ⁶ Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. ⁷ Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. ⁸ If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you. ⁹ She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.”

¹⁰ My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. ¹¹ I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. ¹² When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. ¹³ Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.

¹⁴ Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. ¹⁵ Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving. ¹ For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble. ¹⁷ They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence!

¹ The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. ¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

²⁰ My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. ²¹ Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, ²² for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

²³ Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

²⁴ Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.

²⁵ Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. ²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. ²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Proverbs 5

Avoid Immoral Women

¹ My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. ² Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned. ³ For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. ⁴ But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. ⁵ Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. ⁶ For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

⁷ So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say: 8Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house! ⁹ If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved. ¹⁰ Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor. ¹¹ In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body. ¹² You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings! ¹³ Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors? ¹⁴ I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.”

¹⁵ Drink water from your own well—share your love only with your wife. ¹⁶ Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? ¹⁷ You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers.

¹⁸ Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. ¹⁹ She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. ²⁰ Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?

²¹ For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. ²² An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. ²³ He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.