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

My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,

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

So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

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

Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,

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

If you seek her as silver, And search for her 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 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 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 stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;

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

He guards the paths of justice, And 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 and justice, Equity and every good path.

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

When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

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

Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will 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, From the man who speaks perverse things,

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

From those who leave 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 in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked;

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

Whose ways are crooked, And who are 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 immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words,

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

Who forsakes the companion 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 leads down to death, And her paths to the dead;

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

None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life—

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

So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness.

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

For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will 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 will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.