²⁰ There’s another voice in town.
    It belongs to Lady Wisdom, who calls out in the street.
    She cries out in the town square,
²¹ At the city gates, in the noisy city streets,
    you can hear her speaking over the racket.

²² Lady Wisdom: You simple, naive people, how long will you love your feeble ways?
    You simpletons, how long will you enjoy making fun of what you don’t understand?
        You fools, how long will you hate learning what truly matters?
²³     Turn to me and receive my gentle correction;
    Watch and I will pour out my spirit on you;
        I will share with you my wise words in order to redirect your lives.
²⁴     You hear, but you have refused to answer my call.
        My hands reached out, but no one noticed.
²⁵     All my advice, all my correction, all have been neglected—
        you wanted nothing of them.
²⁶     So I will be the laughter you hear when misfortune comes, and it will come.
        I will be the mocking sound when panic grips you—
²⁷     When panic comes like a stormy blast,
        when misfortune sweeps in like a whirlwind,
        when sorrow and anguish weigh you down.

²⁸ This is when they will call on me, but I will not respond;
    they will be frantic to find me, but they won’t be able.
²⁹ Because they despised knowledge of my ways,
    and they also refused to respect and honor the Eternal,
³⁰ Because they rejected my advice
    and turned down my correction,
³¹ They will surely get what’s coming to them:
    they’ll be forced to eat the fruit of their wicked ways;
    they’ll gorge themselves on the consequences of their choices.
³² You see, it’s turning away from me that brings death to the simple,
    and it’s self-satisfaction that destroys the fools.
³³ But those who listen to me now will live under divine protection;
    they can rest knowing they are out of harm’s way.

5 My son, stay focused; listen to the wisdom I have gained;
    give attention to what I have learned about life
² So you may be able to make sensible judgments
    and speak with knowledge.

²⁰ So, my son, follow your father’s direction,
    and don’t forget what your mother taught you—
²¹ Keep their teachings close to your heart;
    engrave them on a pendant, and hang it around your neck.
²² Their instruction will guide you along your journey,
    guard you when you sleep,
    and address you when you wake in the morning.
²³ For their direction is a lamp; their instruction will light your path,
    and their discipline will correct your missteps,
    sending you down the right path of life.

7 My son, live according to what I am telling you;
    guard my instructions as you would a treasure deep within you.
² Stay true to my directives, and they will serve you well;
    make my teachings the lens through which you see life.