Proverbs 2

1 My son, if you accept what I say and value my instructions,

My son, if thou wilt receive my sayings, and, my commandments, wilt treasure up by thee;

2 if you pay attention to wisdom and really try to understand;

So that thou direct, unto wisdom, thine ear, bend thy heart, unto understanding;

3 if you cry out for insight and call loudly for help in understanding;

Yea if, for understanding, thou cry aloud, for knowledge, utter thy voice;

4 if you look for it as if it were silver and search for it as if it were hidden treasure;

If thou seek her as silver, and, like hid treasure, thou search for her,

5 then you will understand how to relate to the Lord and discover the truth about God.

Then, shalt thou understand the reverence of Yahweh, and, the knowledge of God, shalt thou find.

6 The Lord is the source of wisdom; what he says provides knowledge that makes sense.

For, Yahweh, giveth wisdom, out of his mouth, knowledge and understanding;

7 He gives good judgment to those who live right; he defends those who have good sense.

Yea he treasureth, for the upright, safety, A shield [is he] to them who walk in integrity,

8 He supports those who act fairly and protects those who trust in him.

To him that observeth the paths of justice, yea, the way of his men of lovingkindness, he doth guard.

9 Then you will be able to recognize what is right and just and fair, in fact all that is good in the way you should live.

Then, shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, and equity—every noble course.

10 For wisdom will fill your mind, and knowledge will make you happy.

When wisdom entereth thy heart, and, knowledge, to thy soul, is sweet,

11 Good decisions will keep you on track; thinking logically will keep you safe.

Discretion, shall watch over thee, understanding, shall preserve thee: —

12 Doing this will save you from the ways of evil, from men who tell twisted lies,

To rescue thee from the way of the wrongful, from the man that speaketh perverse things;

13 who turn away from following what is right to walk down paths of darkness.

From them who forsake the paths of rectitude, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14 They happily do wrong; they love how twisted evil is.

Who rejoice to do wrong, exult in the perversities of the wrongful;

15 They live crooked lives doing deceitful things.

Whose paths, are twisted, and they are tortuous in their tracks:

16 Doing this will also save you from a woman who acts immorally, from a woman who like a prostitute tries to seduce you with flattering words.

To rescue thee, from the woman that is a stranger, from the female unknown, who with her speeches seduceth;

17 Such a woman has left her husband she married when she was young, forgetting the promises she made before God.

Who forsaketh the friend of her youth, and, the covenant of her God, hath forgotten;

18 What happens in her house leads to death; following her way leads to the grave.

For she hath appointed, unto death, her house, and unto the shades, her courses;

19 No one who goes to her comes back; they don't ever find the way back to life again.

None who go in unto her, come back, neither attain they unto the paths of life:

20 So you should follow the way of the good, and make sure you stay on the paths of those who do right.

To the end that thou walk in the way of good men, and, the paths of the righteous, that thou observe.

21 For only people who live right will live in the land; only honest people will remain there.

For, the upright, shall abide on the earth, —and, the men of integrity, shall remain therein;

22 But the wicked will be thrown out of the land; those who are untrustworthy will be pulled out by the roots.

But, the lawless, out of the earth, shall be cut off, and, traitors, shall they tear away therefrom.