2  ^bTo know wisdom and ^cinstruction,

to understand words of insight,

3  to ^dreceive instruction in wise dealing,

in ^erighteousness, justice, and equity;

4  to ^fgive prudence to the ^gsimple,

knowledge and discretion to the youth—

5  Let the wise hear and ^hincrease in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6  to understand a ⁱproverb and a saying,

^jthe words of the wise and their riddles.

7  ^kThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and ^linstruction.

8  Hear, my son, your ^mfather’s ⁿinstruction,

and ^oforsake not ^pyour mother’s teaching,

9  for they are a ^qgraceful garland for your head

and pendants ^rfor your neck.

10  My son, if sinners ^sentice you,

do not consent.

11  If they say, “Come with us, let us ^tlie in wait for blood;

let us ambush the innocent without reason;

12  like Sheol let us swallow them alive,

and whole, like ^uthose who go down to the pit;

13  we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

14  throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse”—

15  ^vmy son, do not ^wwalk in the way with them;

^xhold back your foot from their paths,

16  for ^ytheir feet run to evil,

and they make haste to shed blood.

17  For in vain is a net spread

in the sight of any bird,

18  but these men lie in wait for their own blood;

they set an ambush for their own lives.

19  Such are the ways of everyone who is ^zgreedy for unjust gain;

it takes away the life of its possessors.

20  ^aWisdom cries aloud in the street,

in the markets she raises her voice;

21  at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22  “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools ^bhate knowledge?

23  If you ^cturn at my reproof,¹

behold, I will ^dpour out my spirit to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24  ^eBecause I have called and you refused to listen,

have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

25  because you have ^fignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

26  I also will ^glaugh at your calamity;

I will mock when terror strikes you,

27  when terror strikes you like a storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

29  Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30  would have none of my ^hcounsel

and ⁱdespised all my reproof,

31  therefore they shall ^jeat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

32  For the ^ksimple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

33  but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, ^lwithout dread of disaster.”

1  My son, if you ^mreceive my words

and ⁿtreasure up my commandments with you,

2  making your ear ^oattentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

3  yes, if you ^pcall out for insight

and raise your voice for understanding,

4  if you ^qseek it like silver

and search for it as for hidden treasures,

5  then you will understand the ^rfear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

6  For ^sthe Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is a ^tshield to those who walk in integrity,

8  guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of his saints.

9  Then you will understand ^urighteousness and justice

and equity, every good path;

10  for wisdom will come ^vinto your heart,

and knowledge will be ^wpleasant to your soul;

11  discretion will watch over you,

understanding will ^xguard you,

12  delivering you from the way of evil,

from men of ^yperverted speech,

13  who forsake the ^zpaths of uprightness

to ^awalk in the ways of darkness,

14  who ^brejoice in doing evil

and delight in the perverseness of evil,

15  men whose paths are ^ccrooked,

and who are ^ddevious in their ways.

16  ^eSo you will be delivered from the forbidden² woman,

from the adulteress³ with her smooth words,

17  who forsakes the companion of her youth

and ^fforgets the covenant of her God;

18  ^gfor her house sinks down to death,

and her paths to the departed;⁴

19  none who go to her come back,

nor do they regain the paths of life.

20  So you will walk in the way of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21  For the upright will inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it,

22  but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.