1 M y son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide 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, and apply thine 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 knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for 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 hid 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 the Lord, 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 the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh 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 righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

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

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; yea, 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 thine 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 preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Discretion shall watch over you, understanding shall keep you,

12 T o deliver thee from the way of the evil man, 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, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

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

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

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

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

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

17 W hich 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 F or 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 take they hold of the paths of life.

None who go to her return again, neither do they attain or regain 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 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 earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

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