Moral Benefits of Wisdom
1My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.
12Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
14who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.
16Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.2:17 Or covenant of her God
18Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.
20Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
Empeera y’Okunoonya Amagezi
1Mwana wange, bw’onookwatanga ebigambo byange,
n’otereka ebiragiro byange mu bulamu bwo,
22:2 Nge 22:17era n’ossaayo omwoyo eri amagezi,
era n’ossa omutima gwo eri okutegeera,
3ddala ddala singa oyaayaanira okumanya
era n’oyimusa eddoboozi lyo osabe okutegeera,
42:4 Yob 3:21; Nge 3:14; Mat 13:44bw’onooganoonyanga nga ffeeza,
era n’oganoonyanga ng’ekyobugagga ekyakwekebwa,
52:5 Nge 1:7awo w’olitegeerera okutya Mukama,
era n’ovumbula okumanya Katonda.
62:6 1Bk 3:9, 12; Yak 1:5Kubanga Mukama awa amagezi;
era mu kamwa ke muvaamu okumanya n’okutegeera.
72:7 a Nge 30:5-6 b Zab 84:11Mukama aterekera abatuukirivu amagezi amalungi,
era aba ngabo y’abo abatambulira mu bugolokofu.
82:8 1Sa 2:9; Zab 66:9Abatambuliza mu makubo ag’obwenkanya,
era bw’atyo Mukama akuuma ekkubo ly’abatukuvu be.
9Olwo lw’olitegeera obutuukirivu, amazima n’obwenkanya;
weewaawo buli kkubo eddungi.
102:10 Nge 14:33Kubanga amagezi galiyingira mu mutima gwo,
n’okumanya kulisanyusa omwoyo gwo.
112:11 Nge 4:6; 6:22Okwesalirawo obulungi kunaakulabiriranga
n’okutegeera kunaakukuumanga:
12Amagezi ganaakuwonyanga ekkubo ly’omubi,
n’abantu aboogera eby’obugwagwa,
132:13 Nge 4:19; Yk 3:19abaleka amakubo ag’obutuukirivu
ne batambulira mu makubo ag’ekizikiza,
142:14 Nge 10:23; Yer 11:15abasanyukira okukola ebikolwa ebibi,
abanyumirwa eby’obusirusiru,
152:15 a Zab 125:5 b Nge 21:8abantu abo be b’amakubo amakyamu,
era abakujjukujju mu ngeri zaabwe.
162:16 Nge 5:1-6; 6:20-29; 7:5-27Amagezi Mukama g’awa ge gokka agajja okukuwonya ekkubo ly’omukazi omwenzi,
n’okukuwonya ebigambo bye ebisendasenda,
172:17 Mal 2:14eyaleka bba ow’omu buvubuka bwe
era eyeerabira endagaano gye yakola mu maaso ga Katonda we.
182:18 Nge 7:27Kubanga ennyumba ye ekka mu kufa,
n’amakubo ge galaga eri abafu.
192:19 Mub 7:26Tewali n’omu agenda ewuwe adda
wadde okufunirayo amakubo g’obulamu.
20Kale tambuliranga mu kkubo ly’abo abatya Katonda
era onywerere mu makubo g’abatuukirivu.
212:21 Zab 37:29Kubanga abatuukirivu balituula mu nsi,
era abo abagolokofu baligisigalamu.
222:22 a Yob 18:17; Zab 37:38 b Ma 28:63; Nge 10:30Naye abakozi b’ebibi balifiirwa ebirungi eby’ensi,
n’abatali beesigwa balizikirizibwa.
