1 [Audite, filii, disciplinam patris, et attendite ut sciatis prudentiam. 2 Donum bonum tribuam vobis: legem meam ne derelinquatis. 3 Nam et ego filius fui patris mei, tenellus et unigenitus coram matre mea. 4 Et docebat me, atque dicebat: Suscipiat verba mea cor tuum; custodi præcepta mea, et vives. 5 Posside sapientiam, posside prudentiam: ne obliviscaris, neque declines a verbis oris mei. 6 Ne dimittas eam, et custodiet te: dilige eam, et conservabit te. 7 Principium sapientiæ: posside sapientiam, et in omni possessione tua acquire prudentiam. 8 Arripe illam, et exaltabit te; glorificaberis ab ea cum eam fueris amplexatus. 9 Dabit capiti tuo augmenta gratiarum, et corona inclyta proteget te.] 10 [Audi, fili mi, et suscipe verba mea, ut multiplicentur tibi anni vitæ. 11 Viam sapientiæ monstrabo tibi; ducam te per semitas æquitatis: 12 quas cum ingressus fueris, non arctabuntur gressus tui, et currens non habebis offendiculum. 13 Tene disciplinam, ne dimittas eam; custodi illam, quia ipsa est vita tua. 14 Ne delecteris in semitis impiorum, nec tibi placeat malorum via. 15 Fuge ab ea, nec transeas per illam; declina, et desere eam. 16 Non enim dormiunt nisi malefecerint, et rapitur somnus ab eis nisi supplantaverint. 17 Comedunt panem impietatis, et vinum iniquitatis bibunt. 18 Justorum autem semita quasi lux splendens procedit, et crescit usque ad perfectam diem. 19 Via impiorum tenebrosa; nesciunt ubi corruant. 20 Fili mi, ausculta sermones meos, et ad eloquia mea inclina aurem tuam. 21 Ne recedant ab oculis tuis: custodi ea in medio cordis tui: 22 vita enim sunt invenientibus ea, et universæ carni sanitas. 23 Omni custodia serva cor tuum, quia ex ipso vita procedit. 24 Remove a te os pravum, et detrahentia labia sint procul a te. 25 Oculi tui recta videant, et palpebræ tuæ præcedant gressus tuos. 26 Dirige semitam pedibus tuis, et omnes viæ tuæ stabilientur. 27 Ne declines ad dexteram neque ad sinistram; averte pedem tuum a malo: vias enim quæ a dextris sunt novit Dominus: perversæ vero sunt quæ a sinistris sunt. Ipse autem rectos faciet cursus tuos, itinera autem tua in pace producet.]
Proverbs 4 Clementine Vulgate
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
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)