| English Standard Version | King James Bible |
| 1Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, | 1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. |
| 2for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. | 2For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. |
| 3When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, | 3For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. |
| 4he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. | 4He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. |
| 5Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. | 5Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. |
| 6Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. | 6Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. |
| 7The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. | 7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. |
| 8Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. | 8Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. |
| 9She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” | 9She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. |
| 10Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. | 10Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. |
| 11I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. | 11I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. |
| 12When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. | 12When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. |
| 13Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. | 13Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. |
| 14Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. | 14Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. |
| 15Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. | 15Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. |
| 16For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. | 16For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. |
| 17For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. | 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, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. | 18But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. |
| 19The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. | 19The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. |
| 20My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. | 20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. |
| 21Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. | 21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. |
| 22For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. | 22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. |
| 23Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. | 23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. |
| 24Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. | 24Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. |
| 25Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. | 25Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. |
| 26Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. | 26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. |
| 27Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. | 27Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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