1 M y son, if thou receivest my words, and layest up my commandments with thee,

My son, if you will receive my words and treasure up my commandments within you,

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

Making your ear attentive to skillful and godly Wisdom and inclining and directing your heart and mind to understanding;

3 y ea, if thou criest after discernment liftest up thy voice to understanding;

Yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,

4 i f thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasures:

If you seek as for silver and search for skillful and godly Wisdom as for hidden treasures,

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

Then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

6 F or Jehovah giveth wisdom; out of his mouth knowledge and understanding.

For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

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

He hides away sound and godly Wisdom and stores it for the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him); He is a shield to those who walk uprightly and in integrity,

8 g uarding the paths of just judgment and keeping the way of his godly ones.

That He may guard the paths of justice; yes, He preserves the way of His saints.

9 T hen shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity: every good path.

Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and fair dealing; yes, you will understand every good path.

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

For skillful and godly Wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge shall be pleasant to you.

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

Discretion shall watch over you, understanding shall keep you,

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

To deliver you from the way of evil and the evil men, from men who speak perverse things and are liars,

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

Men who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,

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

Who rejoice to do evil and delight in the perverseness of evil,

15 w hose paths are crooked, and who are perverted in their course:

Who are crooked in their ways, wayward and devious in their paths.

16 T o deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words;

to deliver you from the alien woman, from the outsider with her flattering words,

17 w ho forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God;

Who forsakes the husband and guide of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

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

For her house sinks down to death and her paths to the spirits.

19 n one that go unto her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

None who go to her return again, neither do they attain or regain the paths of life.

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

So may you walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of the righteous (the upright, in right standing with God).

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 men of integrity, blameless and complete, shall remain in it;

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

But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.