^20 
[a]Wisdom shouts in the street,
She raises her voice in the markets;
²¹ 
She calls out at the head of the noisy streets [where large crowds gather];
At the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words:
²² 
“How long, O naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning?
How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing,
How long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge?
²³ 
“If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke,
Behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.^(A)
24 
“Because I called and you refused [to answer],
I stretched out my hand and no one has paid attention [to my offer];^(B)
25 
And you treated all my counsel as nothing
And would not accept my reprimand,
²⁶ 
I also will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when your dread and panic come,
²⁷ 
When your dread and panic come like a storm,
And your disaster comes like a whirlwind,
When anxiety and distress come upon you [as retribution].
²⁸ 
“Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer;
They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,^(C)
29 
Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord [that is, obeying Him with reverence and awe-filled respect],^(D)
30 
They would not accept my counsel,
And they spurned all my rebuke.
³¹ 
“Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own [wicked] way
And be satiated with [the penalty of] their own devices.
³² 
“For the turning away of the ^[b]naive will kill them,
And the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them.^(E)
33 
“But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust
And will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.”

5 My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience],
Incline your ear to my understanding;^(A)
2 
That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment),
And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation].

7 My son, keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you [so they are readily available to guide you].
² 
Keep my commandments and live,
And keep my teaching and law as the apple of your eye.

¹⁴ 
Where there is no [wise, intelligent] guidance, the people fall [and go off course like a ship without a helm],
But in the abundance of [wise and godly] counselors there is victory.

⁵ 
The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are just (honest, reliable),
But the counsels and schemes of the wicked are deceitful.

²⁶ 
The righteous man is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

¹³ 
Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself,
But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.