¹My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you;

¹ Ay izo, da ni n'ay sanney ta, Ni n'ay lordey gaay ni do,

¹My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee;

²So as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

² Hala mo ni na ni hanga jeeri laakal gaa, Ka ni bina ye fahamay gaa,

²So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding;

³Yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

³ Oho, da ni na fayanka ce, Ka ni jinda tunandi fahamay se,

³Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding;

⁴If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:

⁴ Da ni n'a ceeci danga nzarfu cine, K'a gana danga mate kaŋ i ga arzaka tugante ceeci:

⁴If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures:

⁵then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and find the knowledge of God The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “Elohim.” .

⁵ Saaya din no ni ga faham da Rabbi humburkumay, Ka Irikoy bayray gar.

⁵Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God.

⁶For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

⁶ Zama Rabbi ga laakal no, A meyo ra no bayray da fahamay goono ga fun.

⁶For Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding:

⁷He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity;

⁷ A ga laakal hanno jisi adilantey se, Nga ya koray no ngey kaŋ yaŋ ga dira cimi ganayaŋ ra se.

⁷He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; [He is] a shield to them that walk in integrity;

⁸that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints.

⁸ A ga woodin te zama nga ma cimi ciiti fondayzey haggoy, A ma hanantey fondey hallasi.

⁸That he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints.

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

⁹ Saaya din mo ni ga faham nda adilitaray da cimi ciiti, da sasabandiyaŋ mo, Oho, da fondo kaŋ ga boori kulu no.

⁹Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, [yea], every good path.

¹⁰For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹⁰ Zama laakal ga furo ni bina ra, Bayray mo ga kaan ni fundo se.

¹⁰For wisdom shall enter into thy heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;

¹¹Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

¹¹ Laakal ga soobay ka ni batu, Fahamay mo ga ni haggoy.

¹¹Discretion shall watch over thee; Understanding shall keep thee:

¹²to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things;

¹² Zama i ma ni faaba boro laalo fonda gaa. Borey kaŋ i sanney ga siiri, I ga ni faaba i gaa.

¹²To deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak perverse things;

¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

¹³ Ngey kaŋ ga adilitaray fonda taŋ zama ngey ma dira kubay fondey ra se.

¹³Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil;

¹⁴ Ngey din ga farhã da laala goy, I ma maa laala hattayaŋ kaani,

¹⁴Who rejoice to do evil, And delight in the perverseness of evil;

¹⁵who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths:

¹⁵ Borey kaŋ yaŋ ga siiri ngey fondey ra, Kaŋ yaŋ ga hatta ngey laawaley ra no.

¹⁵Who are crooked in their ways, And wayward in their paths:

¹⁶To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;

¹⁶ Laakal ga ni faaba waykuuru kambe gaa, Danga wayboro yaw me-kaani-koy,

¹⁶To deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;

¹⁷who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God:

¹⁷ Kaŋ ga nga zankataray gorokasino furu, A ga dinya nda nga Irikoyo alkawlo mo.

¹⁷That forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God:

¹⁸for her house leads down to death, her paths to the dead.

¹⁸ Zama a kwaara fonda ga siiri ka koy buuyaŋ do, A laawaley mo ga koy buukoy do haray.

¹⁸For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead;

¹⁹None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

¹⁹ Borey kaŋ yaŋ ga koy a do, I ra sinda boro kaŋ ga ye ka kaa koyne, I si to mo fundi laawaley gaa.

¹⁹None that go unto her return again, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:

²⁰that you may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

²⁰ Ma laakal ceeci mo zama ni ma soobay ka dira boro hanney fondey ra, Ni ma adilitaray laawaley gana.

²⁰That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.

²¹ Zama adilantey ga goro laabo ra, Toonantey mo no ga cindi a ra.

²¹For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it.

²²But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.

²² Amma i ga boro laaley waasu ka kaa laabo ra, I ga amaana ŋwaakoy dagu ka kaa a ra mo.

²²But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.