Proverbs 2

1  MY SON, if you will receive my words and treasure up my commandments within you,2  Making your ear attentive to skillful and godly Wisdom and inclining and directing your heart and mind to understanding [applying all your powers to the quest for it];3  Yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,4  If you seek [Wisdom] as for silver and search for skillful and godly Wisdom as for hidden treasures,5  Then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God. 6  For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.7  He hides away sound and godly Wisdom and stores it for the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him); He is a shield to those who walk uprightly and in integrity,8  That He may guard the paths of justice; yes, He preserves the way of His saints. 9  Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and fair dealing [in every area and relation]; yes, you will understand every good path.10  For skillful and godly Wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge shall be pleasant to you.11  Discretion shall watch over you, understanding shall keep you,12  To deliver you from the way of evil and the evil men, from men who speak perverse things and are liars,13  Men 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, wayward and devious in their paths.16  [Discretion shall watch over you, understanding shall keep you] to deliver you from the alien woman, from the outsider with her flattering words, 17  Who forsakes the husband and guide of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.18  For her house sinks down to death and her paths to the spirits [of the dead].19  None who go to her return again, neither do they attain or regain the paths of life.20  So may you walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of the [consistently] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God).21  For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the men of integrity, blameless and complete [in God’s sight], shall remain in it;22  But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, 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.