1 M y son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee;

My son, if thou receivest my words, and layest up my commandments with thee,

2 S o as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding;

so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom thou apply thy heart to understanding;

3 Y ea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding;

yea, if thou criest after discernment liftest up thy voice to understanding;

4 I f thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures:

if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasures:

5 T hen shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God.

then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge of God.

6 F or Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding:

For Jehovah giveth wisdom; out of his mouth knowledge and understanding.

7 H e layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to them that walk in integrity;

He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; is a shield to them that walk in integrity;

8 T hat he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints.

guarding the paths of just judgment and keeping the way of his godly ones.

9 T hen shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, yea, every good path.

Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity: every good path.

10 F or wisdom shall enter into thy heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;

When wisdom entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul,

11 D iscretion shall watch over thee; Understanding shall keep thee:

discretion shall keep thee, understanding shall preserve thee:

12 T o deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak perverse things;

To deliver thee from the way of evil, from the man that speaketh froward things;

13 W ho forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14 W ho rejoice to do evil, And delight in the perverseness of evil;

who rejoice to do evil, delight in the frowardness of evil;

15 W ho are crooked in their ways, And wayward in their paths:

whose paths are crooked, and who are perverted in their course:

16 T o deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;

To deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words;

17 T hat forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God:

who forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God;

18 F or her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead;

—for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead;

19 N one that go unto her return again, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:

none that go unto her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

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

—that thou mayest walk in the way of the good, and keep the paths of the righteous.

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

For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it;

22 B ut the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.

but the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful shall be plucked up out of it.