Proverbs 4

New International Version

Get Wisdom at Any Cost

4 Listen, my sons,^(A) to a father’s instruction;^(B)
    pay attention and gain understanding.^(C)
²I give you sound learning,
    so do not forsake my teaching.
³For I too was a son to my father,
    still tender, and cherished by my mother.
⁴Then he taught me, and he said to me,
    “Take hold^(D) of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.^(E)
⁵Get wisdom,^(F) get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;^(G)
    love her, and she will watch over you.^(H)
⁷The beginning of wisdom is this: Get^[a] wisdom.
    Though it cost all^(I) you have,^[b] get understanding.^(J)
⁸Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
    embrace her, and she will honor you.^(K)
⁹She will give you a garland to grace your head
    and present you with a glorious crown.^(L)”

¹⁰Listen, my son,^(M) accept what I say,
    and the years of your life will be many.^(N)
¹¹I instruct^(O) you in the way of wisdom
    and lead you along straight paths.^(P)
¹²When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
    when you run, you will not stumble.^(Q)
¹³Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life.^(R)
¹⁴Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers.^(S)
¹⁵Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
¹⁶For they cannot rest until they do evil;^(T)
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
¹⁷They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.^(U)

¹⁸The path of the righteous^(V) is like the morning sun,^(W)
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.^(X)
¹⁹But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;^(Y)
they do not know what makes them stumble.^(Z)

²⁰My son,^(AA) pay attention to what I say;
    turn your ear to my words.^(AB)
²¹Do not let them out of your sight,^(AC)
    keep them within your heart;
²²for they are life to those who find them
    and health to one’s whole body.^(AD)
²³Above all else, guard^(AE) your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.^(AF)
²⁴Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
²⁵Let your eyes^(AG) look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶Give careful thought to the^[c] paths for your feet^(AH)
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷Do not turn to the right or the left;^(AI)
    keep your foot from evil.

Footnotes

Proverbs 4:7 Or Wisdom is supreme; therefore get
Proverbs 4:7 Or wisdom. / Whatever else you get
Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level

James 3-4

New International Version

Taming the Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers,^(A) my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged^(B) more strictly.^(C) ²We all stumble^(D) in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say^(E) is perfect,^(F) able to keep their whole body in check.^(G)

³When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.^(H) ⁴Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.^(I) Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶The tongue also is a fire,^(J) a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body,^(K) sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.^(L)

⁷All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.^(M)

⁹With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.^(N) ¹⁰Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹²My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?^(O) Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it^(P) by their good life, by deeds^(Q) done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition^(R) in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.^(S) ¹⁵Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven^(T) but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.^(U) ¹⁶For where you have envy and selfish ambition,^(V) there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven^(W) is first of all pure; then peace-loving,^(X) considerate, submissive, full of mercy^(Y) and good fruit, impartial and sincere.^(Z) ¹⁸Peacemakers^(AA) who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.^(AB)

Submit Yourselves to God

4 What causes fights and quarrels^(AC) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle^(AD) within you? ²You desire but do not have, so you kill.^(AE) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³When you ask, you do not receive,^(AF) because you ask with wrong motives,^(AG) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴You adulterous^(AH) people,^[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world^(AI) means enmity against God?^(AJ) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.^(AK) ⁵Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us^[b]?^(AL) ⁶But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”^[c]^(AM)

⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,^(AN) and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you.^(AO) Wash your hands,^(AP) you sinners, and purify your hearts,^(AQ) you double-minded.^(AR) ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.^(AS) ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.^(AT)

¹¹Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.^(AU) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister^[d] or judges them^(AV) speaks against the law^(AW) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,^(AX) but sitting in judgment on it. ¹²There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,^(AY) the one who is able to save and destroy.^(AZ) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?^(BA)

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³Now listen,^(BB) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”^(BC) ¹⁴Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.^(BD) ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,^(BE) we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.^(BF) ¹⁷If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.^(BG)

Footnotes

James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
James 4:6 Prov. 3:34
James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.