Proverbs 4

Great^{(i) 1} Heare, O ye chyldren, the fatherly exhortacyon, and take good heade, that ye maye lerne wysdome. ² For I haue geuen you a good doctryne, forsake nott ye my lawe. ³ For when I my selfe was my fathers deare sonne, and tenderly beloued of my mother: ⁴ he taught me also, and sayde vnto me: Lett thyne herte receaue my wordes, kepe my commaundementes, and thou shalt lyue. ⁵ Get the wysdome: and get the vnderstanding: forget not the wordes of my mouth, and shrynke not from them. ⁶ Forsake her not and she shall preserue the: loue her, and she shall kepe the. ⁷ The chefe poynte of wysdome is, that thou be wyllynge to optayne wysedome: and before all thy goodes to gett the vnderstandynge. ⁸ Make moche of her and she shall promote the: Yee, yf thou embrace her, she shall brynge the vnto honoure. ⁹ She shall make the a gracyous heed, and garnysshe the with a crowne of glory. ¹⁰ Heare my sonne, and receaue my wordes and the yeares of thy lyfe shall be many. ¹¹ I haue shewed the, the waye of wysdome, and ledd the into the ryght pathes. ¹² So that yf thou goest therin, there shall no straytenes hynder the: and when thou runnest, thou shalte not fall. ¹³ Take fast holde of doctryne, and let her nott go: kepe her, for she is thy lyfe. ¹⁴ Come nott in the pathe of the vngodly: and walke nott in the waye of the wycked. ¹⁵ Abhorre it, and go not therin: departe asyde, and passe ouer by it. ¹⁶ For they cannot slepe, excepte they haue fyrst done some myschefe: nether take they anye reste, excepte they haue fyrst done some harme. ¹⁷ For they eate the breade of wyckednesse, and dryncke the wyne of robberye. ¹⁸ The pathe of the ryghtewes shyneth as the lyght, that is euer brighter and brighter vnto the perfect daye. ¹⁹ But the waye of the vngodly is as the darcknesse: they knowe nott where they fall. ²⁰ My sonne, marcke my wordes, and enclyne thyne eare vnto my sayinges. ²¹ Let them not departe from thyne eyes: but kepe them euen in the myddest of thyne herte. ²² For they are lyfe vnto all those that fynde them, and health vnto all theyr bodyes. ²³ Kepe thyne herte with all diligence, for there vpon hangeth lyfe. ²⁴ Put awaye from the a frowarde mouth, & let the lyppes of sclaunder be farre from the. ²⁵ Let thyne eyes beholde the thyng that is ryght, and let thyne eye lyddes loke strayght before the. ²⁶ Pondre the path of thy fete, and let all thy wayes be ordred a ryght. ²⁷ Turne not asyde, nether to the ryght hande net to the lefte, but witholde thy fote from euell.