1 M y son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

My son, if you receive my sayings and store up my teachings within you,

2 s o that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

make your ear open to wisdom. Turn your heart to understanding.

3 y ea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

If you cry out to know right from wrong, and lift your voice for understanding;

4 i f thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

if you look for her as silver, and look for her as hidden riches;

5 t hen shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find what is known of God.

6 F or the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

For the Lord gives wisdom. Much learning and understanding come from His mouth.

7 H e layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

He stores up perfect wisdom for those who are right with Him. He is a safe-covering to those who are right in their walk.

8 H e keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

He watches over the right way, and He keeps safe the way of those who belong to Him.

9 T hen shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

Then you will understand what is right and good, and right from wrong, and you will know what you should do.

10 W hen wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

For wisdom will come into your heart. And much learning will be pleasing to your soul.

11 d iscretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Good thinking will keep you safe. Understanding will watch over you.

12 t o deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

You will be kept from the sinful man, and from the man who causes much trouble by what he says.

13 w ho leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

You will be kept from the man who leaves the right way to walk in the ways of darkness,

14 w ho rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

from the one who is happy doing wrong, and who finds joy in the way of sin.

15 w hose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

His ways are not straight and are not good.

16 t o deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

You will be saved from the strange woman, from the sinful woman with her smooth words.

17 w hich forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

She leaves the husband she had when she was young, and forgets the agreement with her God.

18 F or her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

For her house goes down to death, and her steps lead to the dead.

19 N one that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

None who go to her return again, and they do not find the paths of life.

20 T hat thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

So may you walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of those who are right and good.

21 F or the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

For those who are right with God will live in the land. The men without blame will stay in it,

22 B ut the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

but the sinful will be destroyed from the land, and those who are not faithful will be taken away from it.