1 M y son, if you receive my sayings and store up my teachings within you,

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

2 m ake your ear open to wisdom. Turn your heart to understanding.

So as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

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

Yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

4 i f you look for her as silver, and look for her as hidden riches;

If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:

5 t hen you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find what is known of God.

then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and find the knowledge of God.

6 F or the Lord gives wisdom. Much learning and understanding come from His mouth.

For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

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

He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity;

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

that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints.

9 T hen you will understand what is right and good, and right from wrong, and you will know what you should do.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

10 F or wisdom will come into your heart. And much learning will be pleasing to your soul.

For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11 G ood thinking will keep you safe. Understanding will watch over you.

Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

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

to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things;

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

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

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

who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil;

15 H is ways are not straight and are not good.

who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths:

16 Y ou will be saved from the strange woman, from the sinful woman with her smooth words.

To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;

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

who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God:

18 F or her house goes down to death, and her steps lead to the dead.

for her house leads down to death, her paths to the departed spirits.

19 N one who go to her return again, and they do not find the paths of life.

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

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

that you may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

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

For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.

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

But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.