4:5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding;
do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak. 1
4:6 Do not forsake wisdom, 2 and she will protect you;
love her, and she will guard you.
1 tn Heb “from the words of my mouth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); TEV, CEV “what I say.”
sn The verse uses repetition for the imperative “acquire” to underscore the importance of getting wisdom; it then uses two verb forms for the one prepositional phrase to stress the warning.
2 tn Heb “her”; the 3rd person feminine singular referent is personified “wisdom,” which has been specified in the translation for clarity.