3When I was a son to my father,
         Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,

4Then he taught me and said to me,
         “Let your heart hold fast my words;
         Keep my commandments and live;

5Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
         Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

6“Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;
         Love her, and she will watch over you.

7“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
         And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

8“Prize her, and she will exalt you;
         She will honor you if you embrace her.

9“She will place on your head a garland of grace;
         She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

10Hear, my son, and accept my sayings
         And the years of your life will be many.

11I have directed you in the way of wisdom;
         I have led you in upright paths.

12When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
         And if you run, you will not stumble.

13Take hold of instruction; do not let go.
         Guard her, for she is your life.

14Do not enter the path of the wicked
         And do not proceed in the way of evil men.

15Avoid it, do not pass by it;
         Turn away from it and pass on.

16For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
         And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

17For they eat the bread of wickedness
         And drink the wine of violence.

18But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
         That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

19The way of the wicked is like darkness;
         They do not know over what they stumble.

20My son, give attention to my words;
         Incline your ear to my sayings.

21Do not let them depart from your sight;
         Keep them in the midst of your heart.

22For they are life to those who find them
         And health to all their body.

23Watch over your heart with all diligence,
         For from it flow the springs of life.

24Put away from you a deceitful mouth
         And put devious speech far from you.

25Let your eyes look directly ahead
         And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

26Watch the path of your feet
         And all your ways will be established.

27Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
         Turn your foot from evil.

NASB ©1995

American Standard Version
For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For I also was my father's son, tender and as an only son in the sight of my mother:

Darby Bible Translation
For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother.

English Revised Version
For I was a son unto my father, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

Webster's Bible Translation
For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

World English Bible
For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.

Young's Literal Translation
For, a son I have been to my father -- tender, And an only one before my mother.Monotony and Crises
'When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.'--PROVERBS iv. 12. The old metaphor likening life to a path has many felicities in it. It suggests constant change, it suggests continuous progress in one direction, and that all our days are linked together, and are not isolated fragments; and it suggests an aim and an end. So we find it perpetually in this Book of Proverbs. Here the 'way' has a specific designation, 'the way of Wisdom'--that is …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

From Dawn to Noon
'The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.'--PROVERBS iv. 18. 'Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.--MATT. xiii. 43. The metaphor common to both these texts is not infrequent throughout Scripture. In one of the oldest parts of the Old Testament, Deborah's triumphal song, we find, 'Let all them that love Thee be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might.' In one of the latest parts of the Old Testament, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Keeping and Kept
'Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.'--PROVERBS iv. 23. 'Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.'--1 PETER 1. 5. The former of these texts imposes a stringent duty, the latter promises divine help to perform it. The relation between them is that between the Law and the Gospel. The Law commands, the Gospel gives power to obey. The Law pays no attention to man's weakness, and points no finger to the source of strength. Its office is to set clearly …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Two Paths
'Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. 14. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 16. For they sleep not, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Curiosity a Temptation to Sin.
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."--Proverbs iv. 14, 15. The chief cause of the wickedness which is every where seen in the world, and in which, alas! each of us has more or less his share, is our curiosity to have some fellowship with darkness, some experience of sin, to know what the pleasures of sin are like. I believe it is even thought unmanly by many persons (though they may not like to say …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Hold Fast
A sermon (No. 1418) delivered on Lord's Day morning, June 9th, 1878, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life."----Proverbs 4:13. Faith may be well described as taking hold upon divine instruction. God has condescended to teach us, and it is ours to hear with attention and receive his words; and while we are hearing faith comes, even that faith which saves the soul. To take "fast hold" is an exhortation …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Great Reservoir
A sermon (No. 179) delivered on Sabbath morning, February 21, 1858 At The Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens, by C. H. Spurgeon. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."--Proverbs 4:23. If I should vainly attempt to fashion my discourse after lofty models, I should this morning compare the human heart to the ancient city of Thebes, out of whose hundred gates multitudes of warriors were wont to march. As was the city, such were her armies, as was her inward strength, …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

Eyes Right
A sermon (No. 2058) by C. H. Spurgeon "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee."----Proverbs 4:25. These words occur in a passage wherein the wise man exhorts us to take care of all parts of our nature, which he indicates by members of the body. "Keep thy heart," says he "with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Aggravated Guilt of Him who Delivered Christ to Pilate.
"Then saith Pilate unto him, 'Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?' Jesus answered, 'Thou couldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above: Therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.'" Judea was conquered by the Romans and reduced to a province of their empire, before Christ suffered for the sins of men. When the Jews conspired his death, Pilate was governor of that province. The …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

The Great Reservoir
You have seen the great reservoirs provided by our water companies, in which the water which is to supply hundreds of streets and thousands of houses is kept. Now, the heart is just the reservoir of man, and our life is allowed to flow in its proper season. That life may flow through different pipes--the mouth, the hand, the eye; but still all the issues of hand, of eye, of lip, derive their source from the great fountain and central reservoir, the heart; and hence there is no difficulty in showing …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Last Journey and Death, 1858 --Concluding Remarks.
We are now arrived at the closing scene of John Yeardley's labors. The impression which he had received, during his visit to Turkey in 1853, of the opening for the work of the Gospel in the Eastern countries, had never been obliterated; it had rather grown deeper with time, although his ability to accomplish such an undertaking had proportionately diminished. This consideration, however, could not satisfy his awakened sympathies, and, according to his apprehension, no other course remained for him …
John Yeardley—Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel

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