New International Version NIV
Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
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Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend, that you may know prudence.
2 I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
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I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
3 For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother.
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For I also was my father’s son, tender, and as an only son in the sight of my mother:
4 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.
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And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.
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Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
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Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
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The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
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Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”
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She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.
10 Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
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Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
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I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
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Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
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Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.
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Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
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Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
16 For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
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For they sleep not, except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
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They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
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But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards, and increaseth even to perfect day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
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The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.
20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.
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My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
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Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.
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For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
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With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
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Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
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Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
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Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
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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.
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.
The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain.