Proverbs 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Proverbs 2

Benefits of Seeking Wisdom

1 My child,t ifs you receive my words,
and store ups my commands within you,

2 by makingt your ears attentive to wisdom,
andt by turningt your heartt to understanding,

3 indeed, ift you call out fort discernments –
raise your voicet for understanding –

4 ift you seekt it like silver,s
and search for its like hidden treasure,

5 then you will understandt how to fear the Lord,t
and you will discovert knowledget about God.t

6 Fort the Lord givest wisdom,
and from his mouths comest knowledge and understanding.

7 He stores upss effective counselt for the upright,s
and is liket a shieldt for those who livet with integrity,t

8 to guardt the paths of the righteoust
and to protectt the way of his pious ones.st

9 Then you will understandt righteousness and justice
and equity – everyt goodt way.t

10 For wisdom will enter your heart,t
and moral knowledget will be attractivet to you.t

11 Discretiont will protect you,t
understanding will guard you,

12 to delivert you from the way of the wicked,t
from thoset speaking perversity,t

13 who leavet the uprightt paths
to walk on the darkt ways,

14 who delightt in doingt evil,t
they rejoice in perverse evil;t

15 whose pathst are morally crooked,t
and who are devioust in their ways;

16 to deliver yous from the adulteress,t
from the sexually loose womant who speaks flatteringt words;ts

17 who leavest the husbandt from her younger days,t
and forgets her marriage covenantt made before God.t

18 For her houset sinkss down to death,
and her paths leadt to the place of the departed spirits.t

19 None who go in to her will return,t
nor will they reach the paths of life.s

20 Sot you will walk in the way of good people,t
and will keep on the paths of the righteous.t

21 For the upright will reside in the land,
and those with integrityt will remain in it,

22 but the wickedt will be removedt from the land,
and the treacheroust will be torn awayt from it.