1. My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
2. listening closely to wisdomand directing your heart to understanding;
3. furthermore, if you call out to insightand lift your voice to understanding,
4. if you seek it like silverand search for it like hidden treasure,
5. then you will understand the fear of the Lordand discover the knowledge of God.
6. For the Lord gives wisdom;from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7. He stores up success for the upright;He is a shield for those who live with integrity
8. so that He may guard the paths of justiceand protect the way of His loyal followers.
9. Then you will understand righteousness, justice,and integrity — every good path.
10. For wisdom will enter your mind,and knowledge will delight your heart.
11. Discretion will watch over you,and understanding will guard you,
12. rescuing you from the way of evil —from the one who says perverse things,
13. from those who abandon the right pathsto walk in ways of darkness,
14. from those who enjoy doing evil and celebrate perversion,
15. whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious.
16. It will rescue you from a forbidden woman, from a stranger with her flattering talk,
17. who abandons the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;
18. for her house sinks down to deathand her ways to the land of the departed spirits.
19. None return who go to her;none reach the paths of life.
20. So follow the way of good people, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21. For the upright will inhabit the land,and those of integrity will remain in it;
22. but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous uprooted from it.