Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
New Living Translation NLT
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend, that you may know prudence.
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My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment,
2 I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.
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for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions.
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 once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.
4 And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
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My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow 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; develop good judgment. Don’t 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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Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.
7 The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.
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Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
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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If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. 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 place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.”
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.
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My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:
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I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in 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, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble.
13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.
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Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.
14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.
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Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.
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Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.
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 evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.
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They eat the food 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 way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until 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 total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
20 My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.
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My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words.
21 Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:
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Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
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for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
23 With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.
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Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
24 Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.
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Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.
25 Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.
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Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.
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Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.
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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Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.