“They are all straight to him who understands”: “They” refers to the words spoken by Wisdom. “Straight” in reference to speech is the opposite of “twisted” and “crooked” and therefore means “straightforward,” “clear,” or “honest.” “Him who understands” means the intelligent person, the person who has insight and good sense.

If you have been using direct address, you will want to continue doing so here; for example, “If you have understanding, you will find my words are honest.”

“And right to those who find knowledge”: This line is very similar in meaning to the first line. “Right” is as in verse 6. See 1.4 for “knowledge”. In this verse people with understanding or insight will have no difficulty understanding Wisdom’s teaching. This line may be translated as direct address, as in the first line: “If you seek knowledge, you will find my words are right.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .