בְּנִי אִם־תִּקַּח אֲמָרָי וּמִצְוֹתַי תִּצְפֹּן אִתָּךְ

The father-instructor continues with his words of encouragement to his son-disciple, urging him to acquire wisdom and accept reproof: My son, if you will take my sayings to heart and reserve my commandments with you,

לְהַקְשִׁיב לַחָכְמָה אָזְנֶךָ תַּטֶּה לִבְּךָ לַתְּבוּנָה

make your ear listen to wisdom and incline your heart to sagacity.

כִּי אִם לַבִּינָה תִקְרָא לַתְּבוּנָה תִּתֵּן קוֹלֶךָ

For if you not only incline your ear to listen, but also cry out for understanding, by praying and seeking it of your own initiative, and raise your voice for sagacity, yearning for it fervently,

אִם־תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף וְכַמַּטְמֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה

if you seek it, understanding, like those who love silver and can never have enough of it, and search for it like one searches for hidden treasures, in a comprehensive and attentive manner, with vigor, joy, and desire, despite the difficulties and disappointments such a search will entail,

אָז תָּבִין יִרְאַת ה'וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים תִּמְצָא

then you will understand fear of the Lord, and you will find knowledge of God.

כִּי־ה' יִתֵּן חָכְמָה מִפִּיו דַּעַת וּתְבוּנָה

For the Lord grants wisdom; from His mouth, an expression indicative of closeness and great affection, are knowledge and sagacity.

יִצְפֹּן לַיְשָׁרִים תּוּשִׁיָּה מָגֵן לְהֹלְכֵי תֹם

He, God, reserves resourcefulness, insight and practical abilities, for the upright; He is a shield for those who walk honestly,

לִנְצֹר אָרְחוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְדֶרֶךְ חֲסִידָו יִשְׁמֹר

so that they will be able to guard the paths of justice and honesty; He will protect the way of His virtuous ones.

אָז תָּבִין צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט וּמֵישָׁרִים כָל־מַעְגַּל טוֹב

Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and uprightness, and you will know every good track, how to live a good way of life.

כִּי תָבוֹא חָכְמָה בְלִבֶּךָ וְדַעַת לְנַפְשְׁךָ יִנְעָם

For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will please your soul.

מְזִמָּה תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ תְּבוּנָה תִנְצְרֶכָּה

Then prudence, thought, analysis, and flashes of inspiration, will protect you, and sagacity will safeguard you,

לְהַצִּילְךָ מִדֶּרֶךְ רָע מֵאִישׁ מְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכוֹת

saving you from the way of evil, from a man speaking duplicity, persuasive lies,

הַעֹזְבִים אָרְחוֹת יֹשֶׁר לָלֶכֶת בְּדַרְכֵי־חֹשֶׁךְ

from those who forsake the paths of uprightness in order to walk in the ways of darkness,

הַשְּׂמֵחִים לַעֲשׂוֹת רָע יָגִילוּ בְּתַהְפֻּכוֹת רָע

who rejoice to do evil and exult in the duplicity, distortion, of evil. Such individuals are happy when evil is regarded as good, and good evil, and when there is confusion between those different worlds.

אֲשֶׁר אָרְחֹתֵיהֶם עִקְּשִׁים וּנְלוֹזִים בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתָם

They are people whose ways are crooked and who are corrupt in their tracks, their way of life.

לְהַצִּילְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה מִנָּכְרִיָּה אֲמָרֶיהָ הֶחֱלִיקָה

Discretion and discernment will guard you also to save you from a strange woman, from the foreign woman who smooths her sayings, who speaks flattery. Apparently, at that time there were married women who would seek adventures for themselves when their husbands were away from home. A woman of this type would seek to tempt young, inexperienced boys and to entice them with her seductive words.

הַעֹזֶבֶת אַלּוּף נְעוּרֶיהָ ואֶת־בְּרִית אֱלֹהֶיהָ שָׁכֵחָה

This is a woman who forsakes the husband of her youth, is unfaithful to her husband, and at the same time has forgotten the covenant of her God. The covenant of marriage is significant not only as a commitment between two people but also as part of one’s relationship with God.

כִּי שָׁחָה אֶל־מָוֶת בֵּיתָהּ וְאֶל־רְפָאִים מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ

For her house sags toward death, and her tracks are leading to the ghosts. The ways of this woman lead directly to the netherworld.

כָּל־בָּאֶיהָ לֹא יְשׁוּבוּן וְלֹא־יַשִּׂיגוּ אָרְחוֹת חַיִּים

All who come to her will not return, as they cannot extract themselves from her influence, and they will not attain the paths of life.

לְמַעַן תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבִים וְאָרְחוֹת צַדִּיקִים תִּשְׁמֹר

All this admonition is expressed so that you may walk in the way of the good and keep the paths of the righteous.

כִּי־יְשָׁרִים יִשְׁכְּנוּ אָרֶץ וּתְמִימִים יִוָּתְרוּ בָהּ

For the upright will dwell securely in the land, and the honest, the faithful and righteous, will be left in it. Only those who follow the upright path and observe the ways of God can merit living in a good land;

וּרְשָׁעִים מֵאֶרֶץ יִכָּרֵתוּ וּבוֹגְדִים יִסְּחוּ מִמֶּנָּה

and by contrast, the wicked will be eliminated from the land, as their existence there is merely temporary, and the treacherous will be uprooted from it.