^{1 Ref} My son, if you will take my words to your heart, storing up my laws in your mind;

^{2 Ref} So that your ear gives attention to wisdom, and your heart is turned to knowledge;

^{3 Ref} Truly, if you are crying out for good sense, and your request is for knowledge;

^{4 Ref} If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth;

^{5 Ref} Then the fear of the Lord will be clear to you, and knowledge of God will be yours.

^{6 Ref} For the Lord gives wisdom; out of his mouth come knowledge and reason:

^{7 Ref} He has salvation stored up for the upright, he is a breastplate to those in whom there is no evil;

^{8 Ref} He keeps watch on the ways which are right, and takes care of those who have the fear of him.

^{9 Ref} Then you will have knowledge of righteousness and right acting, and upright behaviour, even of every good way.

^{10 Ref} For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul;

^{11 Ref} Wise purposes will be watching over you, and knowledge will keep you;

^{12 Ref} Giving you salvation from the evil man, from those whose words are false;

^{13 Ref} Who give up the way of righteousness, to go by dark roads;

^{14 Ref} Who take pleasure in wrongdoing, and have joy in the evil designs of the sinner;

^{15 Ref} Whose ways are not straight, and whose footsteps are turned to evil:

^{16 Ref} To take you out of the power of the strange woman, who says smooth words with her tongue;

^{17 Ref} Who is false to the husband of her early years, and does not keep the agreement of her God in mind:

^{18 Ref} For her house is on the way down to death; her footsteps go down to the shades:

^{19 Ref} Those who go to her do not come back again; their feet do not keep in the ways of life:

^{20 Ref} So that you may go in the way of good men, and keep in the footsteps of the upright.

^{21 Ref} For the upright will be living in the land, and the good will have it for their heritage.

^{22 Ref} But sinners will be cut off from the land, and those whose acts are false will be uprooted.