智慧的益处

孩子啊,
    你若接受我的教诲,
    珍爱我的诫命,
侧耳聆听智慧,
    倾心渴慕悟性;
你若呼求洞见,
    竭力追求悟性,
寻它如寻银子,
    找它如找宝藏,
你就会懂得敬畏耶和华,
    认识上帝。
因为耶和华赐人智慧,
    知识和悟性出自祂的口。
祂使正直人充满智慧,
    是行为纯全者的盾牌。
祂看守正义之路,
    护卫虔诚人的道。
这样,你就明白何为仁义、
    公平和正直,
    懂得一切美善之道。
10 因为智慧必进入你心,
    知识必令你的灵欢快。
11 明辨力必护佑你,
    悟性必看顾你。
12 智慧必救你远离恶道,
    脱离言语荒谬的人。
13 他们舍弃正道,走上黑路,
14 以行恶为乐,喜爱恶人的邪僻;
15 他们的道路歪邪,行径扭曲。

16 智慧要救你脱离淫妇,
    脱离花言巧语的妓女。
17 她撇弃了年轻时的丈夫,
    忘了在上帝面前立的约。
18 她的家通向死亡,
    她的路直达阴间。
19 到她那里的人都有去无回,
    找不到生命之道。
20 所以你要行善人的路,
    守义人的道。
21 因为在地上,
    正直人必安居,
    纯全无过的人必长存,
22 恶人必遭灭绝,
    奸徒必被铲除。

智慧使人認識 神

我兒,如果你接受我的話,

把我的誡命珍藏在心裡,

留心聽智慧,

致力求聰明;

如果你為求哲理而呼喊,

為求聰明而揚聲;

如果你尋找它如同尋找銀子,

搜尋它好像搜尋寶藏;

你就明白怎樣敬畏耶和華,

並且獲得對 神的認識。

因為耶和華賜人智慧,

知識和聰明都出自他的口。

他為正直人珍藏大智慧,

給行為完全的人作盾牌;

為要看顧正直人的路徑,

護衛虔誠人的道路。

這樣,你就明白公義、公正、正直,

以及一切善道。

智慧使人行走義路

10 智慧必進入你的心,

知識必使你歡悅。

11 明辨的能力必護衛你,

聰明必看顧你;

12 要救你脫離邪惡的道路,

脫離說話乖謬的人。

13 那些人離棄正道,

走上黑暗的道路。

14 他們喜歡行惡,

喜悅惡人的乖謬。

15 他們的道路彎曲,

他們的行徑偏離正道。

16 智慧要救你脫離淫婦,

脫離說諂媚話的妓女。

17 她離棄年輕時的配偶,

忘記了 神的約;

18 她的家陷入死地,

她的路徑下落陰間。

19 凡是進到她那裡去的,都不能轉回,

必得不著生路。

20 因此,智慧必使你走在良善人的道上,

持守義人的路。

21 因為正直人必在地上安居,

完全人必在世上存留;

22 但惡人必從地上除滅,

行事奸詐的必從世上拔除。

Wisdom and Bad Friends

My child, you must follow
and treasure my teachings
    and my instructions.
Keep in tune with wisdom
and think what it means
    to have common sense.
Beg as loud as you can
    for good common sense.
Search for wisdom
as you would search for silver
    or hidden treasure.
Then you will understand
what it means to respect
    and to know the Lord God.

(A) All wisdom comes from the Lord,
and so do common sense
    and understanding.
God gives helpful advice[a]
    to everyone who obeys him
and protects those
    who live as they should.
God sees that justice is done,
and he watches over everyone
    who is faithful to him.
With wisdom you will learn
what is right
    and honest and fair.

10 Wisdom will control your mind,
and you will be pleased
    with knowledge.
11 Sound judgment and good sense
    will watch over you.
12 Wisdom will protect you
    from evil schemes
and from those liars
13 who turned from doing good
    to live in the darkness.
14 Most of all they enjoy
    being mean and deceitful.
15 They are dishonest themselves,
    and so are all their deeds.

Wisdom and Sexual Purity

16 Wisdom will protect you
from the smooth talk
    of a sinful woman,
17 who breaks her wedding vows
and leaves the man she married
    when she was young.
18 The road to her house leads
down
    to the dark world
    of the dead.
19 Visit her, and you will never
    find the road to life again.

20 Follow the example
of good people
    and live an honest life.
21 If you are honest and innocent,
    you will keep your land;
22 if you do wrong
and can never be trusted,
    you will be rooted out.

Footnotes

  1. 2.7 helpful advice: Or “wisdom.”