1  My son, if you will receive the utterance of my commandment, and hide it with you; 2 your ear shall hearken to wisdom; you shall also apply your heart to understanding, and shall apply it to the instruction of your son. 3 For it you shall call to wisdom, and utter your voice for understanding; 4 and if you shall seek it as silver, and search diligently for it as for treasures; 5 then shall you understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; and from his presence come knowledge and understanding, 7 and he treasures up salvation for them that walk uprightly: he will protect their way; 8 that he may guard the righteous ways: and he will preserve the way of them that fear him. 9 Then shall you understand righteousness, and judgment; and shall direct * all your course aright. 10 For if wisdom shall come into your understanding, and discernment shall seem pleasing to your soul, 11 good counsel shall guard you, and holy understanding shall keep you; 12 to deliver you from the evil way, and from the man that speaks nothing faithfully. 13 Alas for those who forsake right paths, to walk in ways of darkness; 14 who rejoice in evils, and delight in wicked perverseness; 15 whose paths are crooked, and their † courses winding; 16 to remove you far from the straight way, and to estrange you from a righteous purpose. My son, let not evil counsel overtake you, 17  of her who has forsaken the instruction of her youth, and forgotten the covenant of God. 18 For she has fixed her house near death, and guided her wheels near Hades with the ‡ giants. 19 None that go by her shall return, neither shall they take hold of right paths, for they are not apprehended of the § years of life. 20 For had they gone in good paths, they would have found the paths of righteousness ** easy. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the earth, and the holy shall be left behind in it. 22 The paths of the ungodly shall perish out of the earth, and transgressors shall be driven away from it.