1 My son, if you will receive my words, and hide my commandments with you;

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

3 Yes, if you cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding;

4 If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures;

5 Then shall you understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the LORD gives wisdom: out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

7 He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8 He keeps the paths of judgment, and preserves the way of his saints.

9 Then shall you understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yes, every good path.

10 When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul;

11 Discretion shall preserve you, understanding shall keep you:

12 To deliver you from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaks fraudulent things;

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

14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

15 Whose ways are crooked, and they fraudulent in their paths:

16 To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flatters with her words;

17 Which forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.

18 For her house inclines to death, and her paths to the dead.

19 None that go to her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

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

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

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

1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words,

And lay up my commandments with thee;

2 So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom,

And apply thy heart to understanding;

3 Yea, if thou cry after discernment,

And lift up thy voice for understanding;

4 If thou seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hid treasures:

5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah,

And find the knowledge of God.

6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom;

Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding:

7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to them that walk in integrity;

8 That he may guard the paths of justice,

And preserve the way of his saints.

9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice,

And equity, yea, every good path.

10 For wisdom shall enter into thy heart,

And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;

11 Discretion shall watch over thee;

Understanding shall keep thee:

12 To deliver thee from the way of evil,

From the men that speak perverse things;

13 Who forsake the paths of uprightness,

To walk in the ways of darkness;

14 Who rejoice to do evil,

And delight in the perverseness of evil;

15 Who are crooked in their ways,

And wayward in their paths:

16 To deliver thee from the strange woman,

Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;

17 That forsaketh the friend of her youth,

And forgetteth the covenant of her God:

18 For her house inclineth unto death,

And her paths unto the dead;

19 None that go unto her return again,

Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:

20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men,

And keep the paths of the righteous.

21 For the upright shall dwell in the land,

And the perfect shall remain in it.

22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land,

And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.