Proverbs · Geneva Bible (1599)
Proverbs 4 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
1 Heare, O ye children, the instruction of a father, and giue eare to learne vnderstanding.
1 Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;
2 For I doe giue you a good doctrine: therefore forsake yee not my lawe.
2 for I give you sound learning. Don’t forsake my law.
3 For I was my fathers sonne, tender and deare in the sight of my mother,
3 For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.
4 When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.
4 He taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisedom: get vnderstading: forget not, neither decline from the woordes of my mouth.
5 Get wisdom. Get understanding. Don’t forget, and don’t deviate from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and shee shall keepe thee: loue her and shee shall preserue thee.
6 Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.
7 Wisedome is the beginning: get wisedome therefore: and aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding.
7 Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall exalt thee: she shall bring thee to honour, if thou embrace her.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor when you embrace her.
9 She shall giue a comely ornamet vnto thine head, yea, she shall giue thee a crowne of glorie.
9 She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you.”
10 Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.
10 Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.
11 I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.
12 Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
12 When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.
13 Take firm hold of instruction. Don’t let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.
14 Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.
14 Don’t enter into the path of the wicked. Don’t walk in the way of evil men.
15 Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.
15 Avoid it, and don’t pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.
16 For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
16 For they don’t sleep unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.
17 For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light that shines more and more until the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.
20 My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.
20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart.
22 For they are life vnto those that find them, and health vnto all their flesh.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
23 Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and put wicked lippes farre from thee.
24 Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.
25 Let thine eyes beholde the right, and let thine eyelids direct thy way before thee.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy waies be ordred aright.
26 Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.
27 Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
27 Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.
Cross references (27)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Hebrews 2:1; Psalm 34:11; Proverbs 1:8; Proverbs 2:1–5; 1 Thessalonians 2:11–12
- 2 1 Timothy 4:6; Titus 1:9; Psalm 89:30–32; Proverbs 8:6–9; Deuteronomy 32:2
- 3 1 Chronicles 22:5; Romans 12:16; 1 Chronicles 29:1; Zechariah 12:10; 1 Chronicles 3:5
- 4 Proverbs 3:1; Ephesians 6:4; John 12:50; Proverbs 7:2; 1 Chronicles 28:9
- 5 James 1:5; Proverbs 3:13–18; Proverbs 1:22–23; 2 Chronicles 34:2; Psalm 44:18
- 6 2 Thessalonians 2:10; Proverbs 4:21–22; Ephesians 3:17; Proverbs 2:10–12
- 7 Ecclesiastes 7:12; Ecclesiastes 9:16–18; Proverbs 23:23; Proverbs 16:16; Philippians 3:8
- 8 Daniel 12:3; 1 Samuel 2:30; Proverbs 3:35; 1 Kings 3:5–13; Proverbs 22:4
- 9 Proverbs 1:9; 1 Peter 5:4; Hebrews 2:7–9; Proverbs 16:31; Isaiah 28:5
- 10 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Proverbs 3:2; Deuteronomy 6:2; Jeremiah 9:20; Proverbs 3:16
- 11 Psalm 25:4–5; Ecclesiastes 12:9; Proverbs 8:9; Proverbs 8:6; 1 Samuel 12:23–24
- 12 Proverbs 3:23; Psalm 18:36; 2 Samuel 22:37; 1 Peter 2:8; John 11:9–10
- 13 Proverbs 3:18; Hebrews 2:1; Proverbs 23:23; Deuteronomy 32:47; Acts 2:42
- 14 Psalm 1:1; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 1:15; Proverbs 1:10; Proverbs 13:20
- 15 Ephesians 5:11; Job 22:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Exodus 23:7; Job 11:14
- 16 Psalm 36:4; Micah 2:1; Isaiah 57:20; 2 Peter 2:14; Proverbs 1:16
- 17 Micah 6:12; Proverbs 9:17; Proverbs 20:17; Psalm 14:4; James 5:4–5
- 18 John 8:12; Job 11:17; Daniel 12:3; Philippians 2:15; 2 Corinthians 3:18
- 19 John 12:35; Isaiah 59:9–10; Jeremiah 23:12; Job 18:5–6; 1 Samuel 2:9
- 20 Proverbs 5:1; Isaiah 55:3; Proverbs 6:20–21; Proverbs 7:1; Psalm 78:1
- 21 Proverbs 3:21; Proverbs 3:3; Proverbs 7:1–2; Psalm 40:8; Proverbs 2:1
- 22 Jeremiah 33:6; Proverbs 12:18; Proverbs 4:10; Proverbs 3:8; Proverbs 4:4
- 23 Luke 6:45; Matthew 12:34–35; Mark 7:21–23; Psalm 139:23–24; Proverbs 13:3
- 24 Proverbs 8:8; James 1:26; Proverbs 8:13; Ephesians 4:25–31; 1 Peter 2:1
- 25 Psalm 119:37; Matthew 6:22; Job 31:1; Proverbs 23:33; Proverbs 23:5
- 26 Hebrews 12:13; Psalm 37:23; Psalm 119:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Haggai 1:5
- 27 Deuteronomy 5:32; Joshua 1:7; Deuteronomy 28:14; Proverbs 16:17; Deuteronomy 12:32
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
It is not an enemy, O man, that assails thee from without, but an evil shoot growing up out of thyself. Look right on with thine eyes, and there is no lust.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)