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v1
My child, if you will receive ^[Or “take, seize”] my sayings, and hide my commands with you,
v2
in order to incline your ear toward wisdom, then you shall apply your heart to understanding.
v3
For if you cry out for understanding, ^[Or “call to understanding”] if you lift ^[Or “carry, give”] your voice for insight,
v4
if you seek her like silver and search her out like treasure, ^[Literally “like the treasures”]
v5
then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and the knowledge of God you will find.
v6
For Yahweh will give wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
v7
For the upright, he stores ^[Or “hides, keeps”] sound judgment, a shield for those who walk uprightly,
v8
in order to guard paths of justice and keep ^[Or “preserve, guard, watch”] the way of his faithful ones.
v9
Then you will understand righteousness and justice and uprightness—every good course—
v10
for wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul. ^[Or “inner self”]
v11
Discretion will watch over you; understanding will protect you,
v12
in order to deliver you from the way of evil, ^[Or “evildoer”] from a man who speaks devious things—
v13
those who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in ways of darkness,
v14
those who are happy to do evil, for they delight in the deviousness of evil,
v15
who are crooked in their ways, ^[Literally “that in their ways are crooked”] and devious in their paths;
v16
in order to deliver you from a strange woman, from a foreign woman who flatters ^[Or “makes smooth”] with her sayings,
v17
she who forsakes the partner of her youth and has forgotten the covenant of her God,
v18
for her house sinks to death, and to the dead ^[Or “Rephaim”] are her paths.
v19
Of all who go to her, none shall return, nor do they reach paths of life.
v20
So that you will walk on the road of those who are good, and the paths of those who are righteous you shall keep.
v21
For those who are upright will dwell in the land, ^[Or “earth”] and those who are blameless ^[Or “innocent”] will remain in it.
v22
And those who are wicked will be cut off from the land, and those who are treacherous will be uprooted from it.