2 My son, if you will receive my words
and store my commands inside you,
² paying attention to wisdom
inclining your mind toward understanding —
³ yes, if you will call for insight
and raise your voice for discernment,
⁴ if you seek it as you would silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure —
⁵ then you will understand the fear of Adonai
and find knowledge of God.

⁶ For Adonai gives wisdom;
from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He stores up common sense for the upright,
is a shield to those whose conduct is blameless,
⁸ in order to guard the courses of justice
and preserve the way of those faithful to him.
⁹ Then you will understand righteousness, justice,
fairness and every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
knowledge will be enjoyable for you,
¹¹ discretion will watch over you,
and discernment will guard you.

¹² They will save you from the way of evil
and from those who speak deceitfully,
¹³ who leave the paths of honesty
to walk the ways of darkness,
¹⁴ who delight in doing evil
and take joy in being stubbornly deceitful,
¹⁵ from those whose tracks are twisted
and whose paths are perverse.

¹⁶ They will save you from a woman who is a stranger,
from a loose woman with smooth talk,
¹⁷ who abandons the ruler she had in her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God.
¹⁸ Her house is sinking toward death,
her paths lead to the dead.
¹⁹ None who go to her return;
they never regain the path to life.
²⁰ Thus you will walk on the way of good people
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will live in the land,
the pure-hearted will remain there;
²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
the unfaithful rooted out of it.