1 My seun, as jy my woorde aanneem en my gebooie by jou bewaar,
2 sodat jy jou oor laat luister na wysheid, jou hart neig tot verstand;
3 ja, as jy na die insig roep, na die verstand jou stem verhef,
4 as jy daarna soek soos na silwer en dit naspeur soos verborge skatte,
5 dan sal jy die vrees van die HERE verstaan en die kennis van God vind
7 en Hy bewaar hulp vir die opregtes, Hy is 'n skild vir die wat regskape wandel
8 deurdat Hy die paaie van die reg bewaak en die weg van sy gunsgenote bewaar;
9 dan sal jy geregtigheid en reg verstaan en regverdigheid -- elke goeie pad.
10 Want wysheid sal in jou hart kom, en kennis vir jou siel lieflik wees;
11 oorleg sal oor jou wag hou, verstand sal jou bewaak,
12 om jou te red van die weg van die slegte, van die mens wat valse dinge spreek;
13 van die wat die paaie van opregtheid verlaat om op weë van duisternis te wandel;
14 die wat hulle verheug in kwaaddoen, wat juig oor die valse streke van die slegte,
15 van wie die paaie verkeerd is, en wat afwyk in hulle spore;
16 om jou te red van die vreemde vrou, van die ontugtige wat met haar woorde vlei
18 want haar huis sink weg na die dood en haar paaie na die skimme;
19 almal wat by haar ingaan, kom nie terug nie en bereik die paaie van die lewe nie
20 sodat jy kan wandel op die weg van die goeies en die paaie van die regverdiges kan hou;
21 want die opregtes sal die land bewoon, en die regskapenes daarin oorbly,
22 maar die goddelose sal uit die land uitgeroei, en die ontroues sal daaruit weggeruk word.
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words,
And lay up my commandments with thee;
2 So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom,
And apply thy heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou cry after discernment,
And lift up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hid treasures:
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom;
Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding:
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to them that walk in integrity;
8 That he may guard the paths of justice,
And preserve the way of his saints.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice,
And equity, yea, every good path.
10 For wisdom shall enter into thy heart,
And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall watch over thee;
Understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of evil,
From the men that speak perverse things;
13 Who forsake the paths of uprightness,
To walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil,
And delight in the perverseness of evil;
15 Who are crooked in their ways,
And wayward in their paths:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman,
Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;
17 That forsaketh the friend of her youth,
And forgetteth the covenant of her God:
18 For her house inclineth unto death,
And her paths unto the dead;
19 None that go unto her return again,
Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:
20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men,
And keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land,
And the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land,
And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.