^8 (A)My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;

4 Hear, ^(A)my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
² For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
³ When I was my father’s son,
^(B)Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
^4 (C)He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
^(D)Keep my commands, and live.

^20 (A)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
^21 (B)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
^22 (C)When you roam, ^[a]they will lead you;
When you sleep, ^(D)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
^23 (E)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,