| New King James Version | International Standard Version |
| 1Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; | 1Listen, children, to your father's instruction, and pay attention in order to gain understanding. |
| 2For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. | 2I give you sound teaching, so do not abandon my instruction. |
| 3When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, | 3When I was a son to my father, not yet strong and an only son to my mother, |
| 4He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. | 4he taught me and told me, "Let your heart fully embrace what I have to say; keep my commandments and live! |
| 5Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. | 5Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget or turn aside from the words of my mouth! |
| 6Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. | 6Do not abandon her, and she will protect you. Love her, and she will watch over you. |
| 7Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. | 7Wisdom is of utmost importance, therefore get wisdom, and with all your effort work to acquire understanding. |
| 8Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. | 8Prize her and she will exalt you. Indeed, if you embrace her, she will honor you. |
| 9She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.” | 9She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will present to you a crown of beauty." |
| 10Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. | 10Listen, my son: accept my words, and you'll live a long, long time. |
| 11I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. | 11I have directed you in the way of wisdom, and I have led you along straight paths. |
| 12When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. | 12When you walk, your step will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. |
| 13Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life. | 13Hold on to instruction, do not let it go! Guard wisdom, because she is your life! |
| 14Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. | 14Do not enter the path of the wicked, or go along the way of evil men. |
| 15Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. | 15Avoid it! Don't travel on it! Turn away from it, and pass on by. |
| 16For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. | 16For they cannot sleep unless they are doing evil, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they cause someone to stumble. |
| 17For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. | 17For they eat the bread of wickedness, and they drink the wine of violence. |
| 18But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. | 18The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that grows brighter until the full light of day. |
| 19The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. | 19But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness, and they do not know what they are stumbling over. |
| 20My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. | 20My son, pay attention to my words, and listen closely to what I say. |
| 21Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; | 21Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart. |
| 22For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. | 22For they are life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. |
| 23Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. | 23Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life. |
| 24Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. | 24Never talk deceptively and don't keep company with people whose speech is corrupt. |
| 25Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. | 25Let your eyes look directly ahead; fix your gaze straight in front of you. |
| 26Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. | 26Carefully measure the paths for your feet, and all your ways will be established. |
| 27Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil. | 27Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
|
