Proverbs 4

English Standard Version

A Father's Wise Instruction

4 ^(A)Hear, O sons, a father's instruction,
    and be attentive, that you may ^(B)gain^[a] insight,
²for I give you good ^(C)precepts;
    do not forsake my teaching.
³When I was a son with my father,
    ^(D)tender, ^(E)the only one in the sight of my mother,
⁴he ^(F)taught me and said to me,
^(G)“Let your heart hold fast my words;
    ^(H)keep my commandments, and live.
⁵^(I)Get wisdom; get ^(J)insight;
    do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
    ^(K)love her, and she will guard you.
⁷^(L)The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
    and whatever you get, get ^(M)insight.
⁸Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
    she will ^(N)honor you ^(O)if you embrace her.
⁹She will place on your head ^(P)a graceful garland;
    she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

¹⁰^(Q)Hear, ^(R)my son, and accept my words,
    that ^(S)the years of your life may be many.
¹¹I have ^(T)taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹²When you walk, ^(U)your step will not be hampered,
    and ^(V)if you run, you will not stumble.
¹³^(W)Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your ^(X)life.
¹⁴^(Y)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
¹⁵Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶For they ^(Z)cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness
    ^(AA)and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸But ^(AB)the path of the righteous is like ^(AC)the light of dawn,
    which shines ^(AD)brighter and brighter until ^(AE)full day.
¹⁹^(AF)The way of the wicked is like deep ^(AG)darkness;
    they do not know over what they ^(AH)stumble.

²⁰^(AI)My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹^(AJ)Let them not escape from your sight;
    ^(AK)keep them within your heart.
²²For they are ^(AL)life to those who find them,
    and healing to all their^[b] flesh.
²³Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for ^(AM)from it flow ^(AN)the springs of life.
²⁴Put away from you ^(AO)crooked speech,
    and put ^(AP)devious talk far from you.
²⁵^(AQ)Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶^(AR)Ponder^[c] the path of your feet;
    ^(AS)then all your ways will be sure.
²⁷^(AT)Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.

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Footnotes

Proverbs 4:1 Hebrew know
Proverbs 4:22 Hebrew his
Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level

1 John 4:7-21

English Standard Version

God Is Love

⁷Beloved, ^(A)let us love one another, for love is from God, and ^(B)whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸^(C)Anyone who does not love does not know God, because ^(D)God is love. ⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that ^(E)God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, ^(F)not that we have loved God ^(G)but that he loved us and sent his Son to be ^(H)the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²^(I)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and ^(J)his love is perfected in us.

¹³^(K)By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And ^(L)we have seen and testify that ^(M)the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of ^(N)the world. ¹⁵^(O)Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶So ^(P)we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. ^(Q)God is love, and ^(R)whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷By this ^(S)is love perfected with us, so that ^(T)we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because ^(U)as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but ^(V)perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not ^(W)been perfected in love. ¹⁹^(X)We love because he first loved us. ²⁰^(Y)If anyone says, “I love God,” and ^(Z)hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot^[a] love God ^(AA)whom he has not seen. ²¹And ^(AB)this commandment we have from him: ^(AC)whoever loves God must also love his brother.

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Footnotes

1 John 4:20 Some manuscripts how can he

Matthew 11:7-15

English Standard Version

⁷As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ^(A)into the wilderness to see? ^(B)A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸What then did you go out to see? A man^[a] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. ⁹What then did you go out to see? ^(C)A prophet?^[b] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is he of whom it is written,

^(D)“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹²^(E)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,^[c] and the violent take it by force. ¹³^(F)For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴and if you are willing to accept it, he is ^(G)Elijah who is to come. ¹⁵^(H)He who has ears to hear,^[d] let him hear.