Advice to young people

1My children, listen to what I am teaching you. If you pay attention, you will understand what is wise.

2What I am teaching you is good, so do not turn away from it.

3When I was a young boy, loved by my mother,

4my father told me, “Remember my words;
if you obey my commandments, you will live a long time.

5Obtain wisdom and understanding, and ◄do not abandon/hold fast to► [LIT] what I have taught you.

6Do not turn away from wisdom, because if you are wise, you will be protected from all evil/danger. If you love wisdom, wisdom [PRS] will guard you.

7The most important thing that you can do is to get wisdom. Even if you obtain many other things,
the best thing is to know what things are wise.

8If you consider being wise to be very valuable, people will think very highly of you. If you cling to wisdom like you would cling to a woman you love, many people will honor you.

9If you become wise, that will for you be like a beautiful wreath that is put {someone puts} on your head; it will be like a king’s glorious crown.” That is what my father told me.

10So now I say, “My son, heed what I say. If you do that, you will live a good long life.

11I am teaching you the way to live wisely; I am showing you how to act justly toward others.

12If you live wisely, when you decide to do something, you will succeed [LIT].

13Hold fast to the things I have taught you to do, and do not let them go. Guard them, because they will be the source of a good life.

14Do not do the things that wicked people do;
do not behave like they do; do not even walk on the roads that evil people walk on [MET].

15Stay away from those roads; turn aside and walk on other roads;

16because evil people cannot sleep if they have not done some evil deed on that day. They cannot rest if they have not harmed someone.

17What they eat and what they drink are things that they have obtained by acting wickedly and violently.”

18The behavior of good/righteous people is like the light that begins to shine at dawn and then continues to shine brighter until the brightest time of day.

19But the behavior of wicked people is like deep/thick darkness. Because it is very dark, they cannot see the things that cause them to stumble.

20My son, pay attention to what I am saying. Listen to my words carefully.

21Keep them close to you;
let them penetrate your inner being,

22because you will have [PRS] a good life and good health if you search for them and find them.

23It is very important that you be careful about what you think, because what you think controls [MET] the things that you do.

24Do not say anything that deceives others and never say what is not true.

25Keep looking straight ahead toward the events that are before you, and do not turn aside.

26Plan carefully where you will go and what you will do, and then stay on that road. Then what you do will be right.

27Do not leave the straight road by turning to the left or to the right.
Do only what is right and keep yourself from doing what is evil.