2 My child, if you accept my sayings

≈ and internalise my commands,

2 so you’ll be attentive to wisdom

≈ and your mind will look for understanding,

3 if you’ll call out for insight,

≈ raising your voice to ask for understanding,

4 if you go after it as if it’s silver

≈ and search for it as if it was hidden treasure,

5 then you’ll understand how to respect and obey Yahweh

≈ and you’ll learn more about God.

6 That’s because Yahweh gives wisdom—

knowledge and understanding come from his mouth

7 and he gives true wisdom to godly people—

a protective shield for those walking with integrity.

8 to guard the paths of justice,

and he will preserve the way of those who are faithful to him.

9 Then you’ll understand righteousness and justice and integrity—every good path to walk,

10 because wisdom will enter into your mind

≈ and knowledge will give you pleasure.

11 Discretion will watch over you.

≈ Understanding will guard you

12 to rescue you off the path of wicked people—

from people who speak perversely—

13 the ones who abandon the paths of godliness

to walk in the ways of darkness,

14 the ones who are glad to do evil.

≈ They rejoice in perverse things of evil,

15 whose paths are crooked

≈ and going astray in their tracks.

16 Being discreet and insightful will rescue you from a strange woman—

≈ from a foreign woman who makes her sayings smooth,

17 who’s left her husband from her younger days,

≈ and has forgotten her promise to her god.

18 Her house sinks down to death,

≈ and her paths to the departed spirits.

19 No one who goes into her place will return,

≈ and they won’t find the paths that lead to life.

20 So follow the ways of good people,

≈ and stay on the path of those who want to do what’s right,

21 because it’s people who do what is right who’ll live in this land,

≈ and those who are blameless will remain in it.

22 However, the wicked people will be taken off the land,

≈ and those who are treacherous will be torn away from it.