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1Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,[#tn Heb “sons.”; #tn Heb “discipline.”]
and pay attention so that you may gain discernment.
2Because I give you good instruction,[#tn The perfect tense has the nuance of instantaneous perfect; the sage is now calling the disciples to listen. It could also be a perfect of resolve, indicating what he is determined to do.; #tn The word לֶקַח (leqakh, “instruction”) can be subjective (instruction acquired) or objective (the thing being taught). The latter fits best here.]
do not forsake my teaching.
3When I was a son to my father,[#tn Or “a boy with my father.”]
a tender only child before my mother,
4he taught me, and he said to me:
“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
keep my commands so that you will live.
5Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding;
do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak.
6Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;[#tn Heb “her”; the 3rd person feminine singular referent is personified “wisdom,” which has been specified in the translation for clarity.]
love her, and she will guard you.
7Wisdom is supreme – so acquire wisdom,[#tn The absolute and construct state of רֵאשִׁית (re’shit) are identical (BDB 912 s.v.). Some treat רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה (re’shit khokhmah) as a genitive-construct phrase: “the beginning of wisdom” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV). Others take רֵאשִׁית as an absolute functioning as predicate and חָכְמָה as the subject: “wisdom is the first/chief thing” (cf. KJV, ASV). The context here suggests the predicate.; #tn The term “so” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style.]
and whatever you acquire, acquire understanding!
8Esteem her highly and she will exalt you;[#tn The verb is the Pilpel imperative from סָלַל (salal, “to lift up; to cast up”). So the imperative means “exalt her; esteem her highly; prize her.”]
she will honor you if you embrace her.
9She will place a fair garland on your head;[#sn The personification of wisdom continues with the bestowal of a wreath for the head (e.g., 1:9). The point is that grace will be given to the individual like a wreath about the head.]
she will bestow a beautiful crown on you.”
10Listen, my child, and accept my words,[#tn Heb “my son” (likewise in v. 20).]
so that the years of your life will be many.
11I will guide you in the way of wisdom[#tn The form הֹרֵתִיךָ (horetikha) is the Hiphil perfect with a suffix from the root יָרָה (yarah, “to guide”). This and the parallel verb should be taken as instantaneous perfects, translated as an English present tense: The sage is now instructing or pointing the way.sn The verb יָרָה (yarah) means “to teach; to instruct; to guide.” This is from the same root as the Hebrew word for “law” (torah). See G. R. Driver, “Hebrew Notes,” VT 1 (1951): 241-50; and J. L. Crenshaw, “The Acquisition of Knowledge in Israelite Wisdom Literature,” WW 7 (1986): 9.]
and I will lead you in upright paths.
12When you walk, your steps will not be hampered,[#sn The noun צַעֲדֶךָ (tsa’adekha, “your steps”) and the temporal infinitive בְּלֶכְתְּךָ (belekhtÿkha, “when you walk”) use the idiom of walking to represent the course of life. On that course there will be no obstacles; the “path” will be straight – morally and practically.; #sn The verb צָרַר (tsarar, “to be narrow; to be constricted”) refers to that which is narrow or constricted, signifying distress, trouble, adversity; that which was wide-open or broad represents freedom and deliverance.]
and when you run, you will not stumble.
13Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;[#tn Heb “discipline.”]
protect it, because it is your life.
14Do not enter the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of those who are evil.
15Avoid it, do not go on it;
turn away from it, and go on.
16For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm;[#sn The verb is רָעַע (ra’a’), which means “to do evil; to harm.” The verse is using the figure of hyperbole to stress the preoccupation of some people with causing trouble. R. L. Alden says, “How sick to find peace only at the price of another man’s misfortune” (Proverbs, 47).]
they are robbed of sleep until they make someone stumble.
17For they eat bread gained from wickedness[#tn The noun is a cognate accusative stressing that they consume wickedness.; #tn Heb “the bread of wickedness” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV). There are two ways to take the genitives: (1) genitives of apposition: wickedness and violence are their food and drink (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT), or (2) genitives of source: they derive their livelihood from the evil they do (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 93).]
and drink wine obtained from violence.
18But the path of the righteous is like the bright morning light,[#tn Heb “like light of brightness.” This construction is an attributive genitive: “bright light.” The word “light” (אוֹר, ’or) refers to the early morning light or the dawn (BDB 21 s.v.). The point of the simile is that the course of life that the righteous follow is like the clear, bright morning light. It is illumined, clear, easy to follow, and healthy and safe – the opposite of what darkness represents.]
growing brighter and brighter until full day.
19The way of the wicked is like gloomy darkness;[#sn The simile describes ignorance or spiritual blindness, sinfulness, calamity, despair.]
they do not know what causes them to stumble.
20My child, pay attention to my words;
listen attentively to my sayings.
21Do not let them depart from your sight,[#tn The Hiphil form יַלִּיזוּ (yallizu) follows the Aramaic with gemination. The verb means “to turn aside; to depart” (intransitive Hiphil or inner causative).]
guard them within your heart;
22for they are life to those who find them
and healing to one’s entire body.
23Guard your heart with all vigilance,[#tn Heb “more than all guarding.” This idiom means “with all vigilance.” The construction uses the preposition מִן (min) to express “above; beyond,” the word “all” and the noun “prison; guard; act of guarding.” The latter is the use here (BDB 1038 s.v. מִשְׁמָר).]
for from it are the sources of life.
24Remove perverse speech from your mouth;[#tn Heb “crookedness.” The noun עִקְּשׁוּת (’iqqÿshut) refers to what is morally twisted or perverted. Here it refers to things that are said (cf. NAB “dishonest talk”; NRSV “crooked speech”). The term “mouth” functions as a metonymy of cause for perverse speech. Such perverse talking could be subtle or blatant.; #tn Heb “crookedness of mouth.”]
keep devious talk far from your lips.
25Let your eyes look directly in front of you[#tn The jussives in this verse are both Hiphil, the first from the verb “to gaze; to look intently [or, carefully],” (נָבַט, navat) and the second from the verb “to be smooth, straight” (יָשָׁר, yashar).]
and let your gaze look straight before you.
26Make the path for your feet level,[#tn Heb “path of your foot.”; #sn The verb is a denominative Piel from the word פֶּלֶס (peles), “balance; scale.” In addition to telling the disciple to keep focused on a righteous life, the sage tells him to keep his path level, which is figurative for living the righteous life.]
so that all your ways may be established.
27Do not turn to the right or to the left;[#sn The two verbs in this verse are from different roots, but nonetheless share the same semantic domain. The first verb is תֵּט (tet), a jussive from נָטָה (natah), which means “to turn aside” (Hiphil); the second verb is the Hiphil imperative of סוּר (sur), which means “to cause to turn to the side” (Hiphil). The disciple is not to leave the path of righteousness; but to stay on the path he must leave evil.]
turn yourself away from evil.