| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. | 1My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, |
| 2For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. | 2for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions. |
| 3For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. | 3For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child. |
| 4He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. | 4My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live. |
| 5Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. | 5Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. |
| 6Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. | 6Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. |
| 7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. | 7Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. |
| 8Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. | 8If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you. |
| 9She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. | 9She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.” |
| 10Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. | 10My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. |
| 11I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. | 11I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. |
| 12When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. | 12When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. |
| 13Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. | 13Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life. |
| 14Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. | 14Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. |
| 15Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. | 15Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving. |
| 16For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. | 16For 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. |
| 17For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. | 17They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence! |
| 18But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. | 18The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. |
| 19The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. | 19But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over. |
| 20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. | 20My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. |
| 21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. | 21Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, |
| 22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. | 22for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. |
| 23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. | 23Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. |
| 24Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. | 24Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. |
| 25Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. | 25Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. |
| 26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. | 26Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. |
| 27Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. | 27Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
|
