1 - My son, if you will take my words to your heart, storing up my laws in your mind;
2 - So that your ear gives attention to wisdom, and your heart is turned to knowledge;
3 - Truly, if you are crying out for good sense, and your request is for knowledge;
4 - If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth;
5 - Then the fear of the Lord will be clear to you, and knowledge of God will be yours.
6 - For the Lord gives wisdom; out of his mouth come knowledge and reason:
7 - He has salvation stored up for the upright, he is a breastplate to those in whom there is no evil;
8 - He keeps watch on the ways which are right, and takes care of those who have the fear of him.
9 - Then you will have knowledge of righteousness and right acting, and upright behaviour, even of every good way.
10 - For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul;
11 - Wise purposes will be watching over you, and knowledge will keep you;
12 - Giving you salvation from the evil man, from those whose words are false;
13 - Who give up the way of righteousness, to go by dark roads;
14 - Who take pleasure in wrongdoing, and have joy in the evil designs of the sinner;
15 - Whose ways are not straight, and whose footsteps are turned to evil:
16 - To take you out of the power of the strange woman, who says smooth words with her tongue;
17 - Who is false to the husband of her early years, and does not keep the agreement of her God in mind:
18 - For her house is on the way down to death; her footsteps go down to the shades:
19 - Those who go to her do not come back again; their feet do not keep in the ways of life:
20 - So that you may go in the way of good men, and keep in the footsteps of the upright.
21 - For the upright will be living in the land, and the good will have it for their heritage.
22 - But sinners will be cut off from the land, and those whose acts are false will be uprooted.