智慧的益處

孩子啊,
    你若接受我的教誨,
    珍愛我的誡命,
側耳聆聽智慧,
    傾心渴慕悟性;
你若呼求洞見,
    竭力追求悟性,
尋它如尋銀子,
    找它如找寶藏,
你就會懂得敬畏耶和華,
    認識上帝。
因為耶和華賜人智慧,
    知識和悟性出自祂的口。
祂使正直人充滿智慧,
    是行為純全者的盾牌。
祂看守正義之路,
    護衛虔誠人的道。
這樣,你就明白何為仁義、
    公平和正直,
    懂得一切美善之道。
10 因為智慧必進入你心,
    知識必令你的靈歡快。
11 明辨力必護佑你,
    悟性必看顧你。
12 智慧必救你遠離惡道,
    脫離言語荒謬的人。
13 他們捨棄正道,走上黑路,
14 以行惡為樂,喜愛惡人的邪僻;
15 他們的道路歪邪,行徑扭曲。

16 智慧要救你脫離淫婦,
    脫離花言巧語的妓女。
17 她撇棄了年輕時的丈夫,
    忘了在上帝面前立的約。
18 她的家通向死亡,
    她的路直達陰間。
19 到她那裡的人都有去無回,
    找不到生命之道。
20 所以你要行善人的路,
    守義人的道。
21 因為在地上,
    正直人必安居,
    純全無過的人必長存,
22 惡人必遭滅絕,
    奸徒必被剷除。

Rewards of Wisdom

My ·child [or son], ·listen to [grasp] what I say
    and ·remember [L store up] what I command you.
·Listen carefully [L Bend your ear] to wisdom;
    ·set your mind on [L stretch your heart to] understanding.
Cry out for wisdom,
    and ·beg [shout out loud] for understanding.
·Search [Seek] for it like silver,
    and ·hunt [search] for it like hidden treasure.
Then you will understand ·respect [fear; awe; 1:7] for the Lord,
    and you will find ·that you know God [the knowledge of God].
Only the Lord gives wisdom;
    ·he gives [L from his mouth comes] knowledge and understanding.
He stores up ·wisdom [resourcefulness] for those who ·are honest [have integrity].
    Like a shield he protects the innocent.
He ·makes sure that justice is done [L guards the path of justice],
    and he protects those who are loyal to him.

Then you will understand what is ·honest [righteous] and ·fair [just]
    and what is ·the good and right thing to do [L virtuous, every good course/path].
10 Wisdom will ·come into your mind [penetrate your heart],
    and knowledge will be ·pleasing [attractive] to you.
11 ·Good sense [Discretion] will protect you;
    understanding will guard you.
12 It will keep you from the ·wicked [L evil path],
    from those whose words are ·bad [perverted; twisted],
13 who ·don’t do what is right [L abandoned the road of integrity]
    but ·what is evil [L go on dark paths].
14 They enjoy doing wrong
    and are happy ·to do what is crooked and [L with their twisted] evil.
15 What they do is ·wrong [confused],
    and ·their ways are dishonest [L they go on wrong courses].

16 It [C Wisdom] will save you from the ·unfaithful wife [L strange woman]
    ·who tries to lead you into adultery [L from the foreign woman] with ·pleasing words [flattery; compliments].
17 She leaves ·the husband she married when she was young [L the intimate relationship of her youth].
    She ·ignores [forgets] ·the promise she made before [L her covenant with] God.
18 Her house ·is on the way [L sinks down] to death;
    ·those who took that path are now all dead [or her paths come down to her dead ancestors].
19 No one who goes to her comes back
    or walks the path of life again.

20 ·But wisdom will help you be good [or Stay on the path of good people]
    and ·do what is right [guard the road of the righteous].
21 Those who ·are honest [have integrity/virtue] will live in the land,
    and those who are ·innocent [blameless] will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be ·removed [L cut off] from the land,
    and the unfaithful will be ·thrown out of [L uprooted from] it.