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Proverbs chapter 4 in Hebrew and English

27 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

שִׁמְעוּ בָנִים מוּסַר אָב וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ לָדַעַת בִּינָֽה׃

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding.

כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַֽל־תַּעֲזֹֽבוּ׃

For I give you a good taking; Forsake ye not my teaching.

כִּי־בֵן הָיִיתִי לְאָבִי רַךְ וְיָחִיד לִפְנֵי אִמִּֽי׃

For I was a son unto my father, Tender and an only one in front of my mother.

וַיֹּרֵנִי וַיֹּאמֶר לִי יִתְמָךְ־דְּבָרַי לִבֶּךָ שְׁמֹר מִצְוֺתַי וֶֽחְיֵֽה׃

And he taught me, and said unto me: ‘Let thy heart hold fast my words, Keep my commandments, and live;

קְנֵה חָכְמָה קְנֵה בִינָה אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח וְאַל־תֵּט מֵֽאִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃

Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth;

אַל־תַּעַזְבֶהָ וְתִשְׁמְרֶךָּ אֱהָבֶהָ וְתִצְּרֶֽךָּ׃

Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee.

רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה קְנֵה חָכְמָה וּבְכָל־קִנְיָנְךָ קְנֵה בִינָֽה׃

The beginning of wisdom is: Get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.

סַלְסְלֶהָ וּתְרוֹמְמֶךָּ תְּכַבֵּדְךָ כִּי תְחַבְּקֶֽנָּה׃

Extol her, and she will exalt thee; She will bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

תִּתֵּן לְרֹאשְׁךָ לִוְיַת־חֵן עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת תְּמַגְּנֶֽךָּ׃

She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; A crown of glory will she bestow on thee.’

שְׁמַע בְּנִי וְקַח אֲמָרָי וְיִרְבּוּ לְךָ שְׁנוֹת חַיִּֽים׃

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many.

בְּדֶרֶךְ חָכְמָה הֹרֵתִיךָ הִדְרַכְתִּיךָ בְּמַעְגְּלֵי־יֹֽשֶׁר׃

I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness.

בְּלֶכְתְּךָ לֹא־יֵצַר צַעֲדֶךָ וְאִם־תָּרוּץ לֹא תִכָּשֵֽׁל׃

When thou goest, thy step shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

הַחֲזֵק בַּמּוּסָר אַל־תֶּרֶף נִצְּרֶהָ כִּי־הִיא חַיֶּֽיךָ׃

Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go; Keep her, for she is thy life.

בְּאֹרַח רְשָׁעִים אַל־תָּבֹא וְאַל־תְּאַשֵּׁר בְּדֶרֶךְ רָעִֽים׃

Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men.

פְּרָעֵהוּ אַל־תַּעֲבָר־בּוֹ שְׂטֵה מֵעָלָיו וַעֲבֽוֹר׃

Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on.

כִּי לֹא יִשְׁנוּ אִם־לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְנִגְזְלָה שְׁנָתָם אִם־לֹא יַכְשִֽׁילוּ׃

For they sleep not, except they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

כִּי לָחֲמוּ לֶחֶם רֶשַׁע וְיֵין חֲמָסִים יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃

For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.

וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ הוֹלֵךְ וָאוֹר עַד־נְכוֹן הַיּֽוֹם׃

But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים כָּאֲפֵלָה לֹא יָדְעוּ בַּמֶּה יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ׃

The way of the wicked is as darkness; They know not at what they stumble.

בְּנִי לִדְבָרַי הַקְשִׁיבָה לַאֲמָרַי הַט־אָזְנֶֽךָ׃

My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings.

אַל־יַלִּיזוּ מֵעֵינֶיךָ שָׁמְרֵם בְּתוֹךְ לְבָבֶֽךָ׃

Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart.

כִּי־חַיִּים הֵם לְמֹצְאֵיהֶם וּלְכָל־בְּשָׂרוֹ מַרְפֵּֽא׃

For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh.

מִכָּל־מִשְׁמָר נְצֹר לִבֶּךָ כִּי־מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹצְאוֹת חַיִּֽים׃

Above all that thou guardest keep thy heart; For out of it are the issues of life.

הָסֵר מִמְּךָ עִקְּשׁוּת פֶּה וּלְזוּת שְׂפָתַיִם הַרְחֵק מִמֶּֽךָּ׃

Put away from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee.

עֵינֶיךָ לְנֹכַח יַבִּיטוּ וְעַפְעַפֶּיךָ יַיְשִׁרוּ נֶגְדֶּֽךָ׃

Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

פַּלֵּס מַעְגַּל רַגְלֶךָ וְכָל־דְּרָכֶיךָ יִכֹּֽנוּ׃

Make plain the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established.

אַל־תֵּט־יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול הָסֵר רַגְלְךָ מֵרָֽע׃

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; Remove thy foot from evil.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 4 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs
  • Proverbs is one of the Writings
  • 27 verses, 200 words, about 2 minutes to read

Proverbs has 31 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Proverbs·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Proverbs chapter 4 have?

Proverbs chapter 4 has 27 verses and 200 words.

How does Proverbs chapter 4 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words שמעו בנים מוסר אב.

Where does Proverbs chapter 4 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 4 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Proverbs chapter 4?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.