Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
New International Version NIV
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend, that you may know prudence.
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Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
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I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I also was my father’s son, tender, and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
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For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
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Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
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Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
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Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
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The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8 Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
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Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
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She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
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Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
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I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
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When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
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Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
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Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.
15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
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Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they sleep not, except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.
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For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
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They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards, and increaseth even to perfect day.
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The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
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But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
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My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.
21 Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
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Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
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for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
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Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
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Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
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Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
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Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.
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Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
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Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.