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- Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence;
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- for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law.
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- For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother.
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- And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words;
keep my commandments and live.
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- Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget [it] not;
neither decline from the words of my mouth.
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- Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee;
love her, and she shall preserve thee.
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- The beginning of wisdom [is], Get wisdom;
and with all thy getting get intelligence.
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- Exalt her, and she shall promote thee;
she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her.
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- She shall give to thy head a garland of grace;
a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee.
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- Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.
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- I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness.
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- When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;
and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
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- Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life.
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- Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]:
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- avoid it, pass not by it;
turn from it, and pass away.
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- For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused [some] to fall.
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- For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
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- But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come.
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- The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
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- My son, attend to my words;
incline thine ear unto my sayings.
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- Let them not depart from thine eyes;
keep them in the midst of thy heart.
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- For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
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- Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded;
for out of it are the issues of life.
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- Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee.
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- Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
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- Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered.
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- Turn not to the right hand nor to the left;
remove thy foot from evil.
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