1 M y son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you;

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

2 S o as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

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

3 Y es, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

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

4 I f you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:

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

5 t hen you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and find the knowledge of God.

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

6 F or Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

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

7 H e lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who 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 you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

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

10 F or wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

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

11 D iscretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

discretion shall keep thee, understanding shall preserve thee:

12 t o deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who 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 you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;

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

17 w ho forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God:

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

18 f or her house leads down to death, her paths to the departed spirits.

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

19 N one who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

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

20 t hat you may 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 will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.

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

22 B ut the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will 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.