Proverbs 2

The Value of Wisdom

1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;8 He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.10 When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you,12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things,13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;14 Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked;15 Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths;16 To deliver you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words,17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God.18 For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead;19 None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life20 So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness.21 For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from 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.