Font Size
Proverbs 4-6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 4-6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Parental Advice
4 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain[a] insight,(A)
2 for I give you good precepts:
do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son with my father,
tender and my mother’s favorite,(B)
4 he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments and live.(C)
5 Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget nor turn away
from the words of my mouth.(D)
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.(E)
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom,
and whatever else you get, get insight.(F)
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.(G)
9 She will place on your head a fair garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”(H)
Admonition to Keep to the Right Path
10 Hear, my child, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.(I)
12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.(J)
13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of evildoers.(K)
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.(L)
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.(M)
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what they stumble over.(N)
20 My child, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.(O)
22 For they are life to those who find them
and healing to all their flesh.(P)
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.(Q)
24 Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.(R)
25 Let your eyes look directly forward
and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Keep straight the path of your feet,
and all your ways will be sure.(S)
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.(T)
Warning against Impurity and Infidelity
5 My child, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,(U)
2 so that you may hold on to prudence,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a loose woman[b] drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil,(V)
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.(W)
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol.
6 She does not keep straight to the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And now, my child,[c] listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.(X)
8 Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,(Y)
9 lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
10 and strangers take their fill of your wealth,
and your labors go to the house of an alien,
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!(Z)
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter ruin
in the public assembly.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?(AA)
17 Let them be for yourself alone
and not for sharing with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,(AB)
19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
May her breasts satisfy you at all times;
may you be intoxicated always by her love.(AC)
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, by another woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?[d](AD)
21 For human ways are under the eyes of the Lord,
and he examines all their paths.(AE)
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare them,
and they are caught in the coils of their sin.(AF)
23 They die for lack of discipline,
and because of their great folly they are lost.(AG)
Practical Admonitions
6 My child, if you have given your pledge to your neighbor,
if you have bound yourself to another,[e](AH)
2 you are snared by the utterance of your lips,[f]
caught by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my child, and save yourself,
for you have come into your neighbor’s power:
go, hurry,[g] and plead with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;(AI)
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter,[h]
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.(AJ)
6 Go to the ant, you lazybones;
consider its ways and be wise.(AK)
7 Without having any chief
or officer or ruler,
8 it prepares its food in summer
and gathers its sustenance in harvest.(AL)
9 How long will you lie there, O lazybones?
When will you rise from your sleep?(AM)
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior.(AN)
12 A scoundrel and a villain
goes around with crooked speech,(AO)
13 winking the eyes, shuffling the feet,
pointing the fingers,(AP)
14 with perverted mind devising evil,
continually sowing discord;(AQ)
15 on such a one calamity will descend suddenly,
in a moment, damage beyond repair.(AR)
16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,(AS)
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,(AT)
19 a lying witness who testifies falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family.(AU)
20 My child, keep your father’s commandment,
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(AV)
21 Bind them upon your heart always;
tie them around your neck.(AW)
22 When you walk, they[i] will lead you;
when you lie down, they[j] will watch over you;
and when you awake, they[k] will talk with you.(AX)
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,(AY)
24 to preserve you from the wife of another,[l]
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[m](AZ)
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes,(BA)
26 for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[n]
but the wife of another stalks a man’s precious life.(BB)
27 Can fire be carried in the bosom
without burning one’s clothes?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
without scorching the feet?
29 So is he who sleeps with his neighbor’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.(BC)
30 Thieves are not despised who steal only
to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry.
31 Yet if they are caught, they will pay sevenfold;
they will forfeit all the goods of their house.(BD)
32 But he who commits adultery has no sense;
he who does it destroys himself.(BE)
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no restraint when he takes revenge.(BF)
35 He will accept no compensation
and will refuse a bribe no matter how great.
Footnotes
- 4.1 Heb know
- 5.3 Heb strange woman
- 5.7 Gk Vg: Heb children
- 5.20 Heb alien woman
- 6.1 Or a stranger
- 6.2 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb the words of your mouth
- 6.3 Or humble yourself
- 6.5 Cn: Heb from the hand
- 6.22 Heb it
- 6.22 Heb it
- 6.22 Heb it
- 6.24 Gk: MT the evil woman
- 6.24 Heb alien woman
- 6.26 Cn Compare Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb for because of a harlot to a piece of bread
Proverbs 4-6
New International Version
Proverbs 4-6
New International Version
Get Wisdom at Any Cost
4 Listen, my sons,(A) to a father’s instruction;(B)
pay attention and gain understanding.(C)
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold(D) of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.(E)
5 Get wisdom,(F) get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;(G)
love her, and she will watch over you.(H)
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[a] wisdom.
Though it cost all(I) you have,[b] get understanding.(J)
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.(K)
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown.(L)”
10 Listen, my son,(M) accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.(N)
11 I instruct(O) you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.(P)
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.(Q)
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.(R)
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.(S)
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;(T)
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.(U)
18 The path of the righteous(V) is like the morning sun,(W)
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.(X)
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;(Y)
they do not know what makes them stumble.(Z)
20 My son,(AA) pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.(AB)
21 Do not let them out of your sight,(AC)
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.(AD)
23 Above all else, guard(AE) your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.(AF)
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes(AG) look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet(AH)
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;(AI)
keep your foot from evil.
Warning Against Adultery
5 My son,(AJ) pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words(AK) of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;(AL)
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,(AM)
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.(AN)
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.(AO)
7 Now then, my sons, listen(AP) to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,(AQ)
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity[d] to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.(AR)
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!(AS)
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble(AT)
in the assembly of God’s people.”(AU)
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain(AV) be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.(AW)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer(AX)—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For your ways are in full view(AY) of the Lord,
and he examines(AZ) all your paths.(BA)
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;(BB)
the cords of their sins hold them fast.(BC)
23 For lack of discipline they will die,(BD)
led astray by their own great folly.(BE)
Warnings Against Folly
6 My son,(BF) if you have put up security(BG) for your neighbor,(BH)
if you have shaken hands in pledge(BI) for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[e]
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.(BJ)
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle(BK) from the hand of the hunter,(BL)
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.(BM)
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;(BN)
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer(BO)
and gathers its food at harvest.(BP)
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(BQ)
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(BR)—
11 and poverty(BS) will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,(BT)
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,(BU)
14 who plots evil(BV) with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.(BW)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(BX)
he will suddenly(BY) be destroyed—without remedy.(BZ)
16 There are six things the Lord hates,(CA)
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,(CB)
a lying tongue,(CC)
hands that shed innocent blood,(CD)
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,(CE)
19 a false witness(CF) who pours out lies(CG)
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.(CH)
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son,(CI) keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(CJ)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.(CK)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,(CL)
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,(CM)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(CN)
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.(CO)
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps(CP) with another man’s wife;(CQ)
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,(CR)
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(CS) has no sense;(CT)
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never(CU) be wiped away.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 4:7 Or Wisdom is supreme; therefore get
- Proverbs 4:7 Or wisdom. / Whatever else you get
- Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level
- Proverbs 5:9 Or years
- Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.