1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17 Which forsaketh the guide 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 take they hold of 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 earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

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.