New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Listen, children, to a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight;
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Give ear, my sons, to the teaching of a father; give attention so that you may have knowledge:
2 for I give you good precepts: do not forsake my teaching.
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For I give you good teaching; do not give up the knowledge you are getting from me.
3 When I was a son with my father, tender, and my mother's favorite,
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For I was a son to my father, a gentle and an only one to my mother.
4 he taught me, and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.
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And he gave me teaching, saying to me, Keep my words in your heart; keep my rules so that you may have life:
5 Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
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Get wisdom, get true knowledge; keep it in memory, do not be turned away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.
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Do not give her up, and she will keep you; give her your love, and she will make you safe.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.
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The first sign of wisdom is to get wisdom; go, give all you have to get true knowledge.
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.
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Put her in a high place, and you will be lifted up by her; she will give you honour, when you give her your love.
9 She will place on your head a fair garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown."
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She will put a crown of grace on your head, giving you a head-dress of glory.
10 Hear, my child, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.
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Give ear, O my son, and let your heart be open to my sayings; and long life will be yours.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
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I have given you teaching in the way of wisdom, guiding your steps in the straight way.
12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble.
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When you go, your way will not be narrow, and in running you will not have a fall.
13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.
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Take learning in your hands, do not let her go: keep her, for she is your life.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evildoers.
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Do not go in the road of sinners, or be walking in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.
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Keep far from it, do not go near; be turned from it, and go on your way.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
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For they take no rest till they have done evil; their sleep is taken away if they have not been the cause of someone's fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
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The bread of evil-doing is their food, the wine of violent acts their drink.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
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But the way of the upright is like the light of early morning, getting brighter and brighter till the full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over.
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The way of sinners is dark; they see not the cause of their fall.
20 My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
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My son, give attention to my words; let your ear be turned to my sayings.
21 Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
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Let them not go from your eyes; keep them deep in your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
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For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
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And keep watch over your heart with all care; so you will have life.
24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
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Put away from you an evil tongue, and let false lips be far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
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Keep your eyes on what is in front of you, looking straight before you.
26 Keep straight the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure.
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Keep a watch on your behaviour; let all your ways be rightly ordered.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
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Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.