Proverbs 2

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

My son, if you will receive my words, and hide my commandments with you;

2 So that thou make thine ear attend unto wisdom, and thy heart incline to discernment;

So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

3 Yea, if thou call for understanding, and lift up thy voice for discernment;

Yes, if you cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding;

4 If thou seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures;

If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures;

5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Then shall you understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the LORD giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledge and discernment;

For the LORD gives wisdom: out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

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

He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8 That He may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of His godly ones.

He keeps the paths of judgment, and preserves the way of his saints.

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

Then shall you understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yes, every good path.

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

When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul;

11 Discretion shall watch over thee, discernment shall guard thee;

Discretion shall preserve you, understanding shall keep you:

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

To deliver you from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaks fraudulent things;

13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of evil;

Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

15 Who are crooked in their ways, and perverse in their paths;

Whose ways are crooked, and they fraudulent in their paths:

16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the alien woman that maketh smooth her words;

To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flatters with her words;

17 That forsaketh the lord of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

Which forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.

18 For her house sinketh down unto death, and her paths unto the shades;

For her house inclines to death, and her paths to the dead.

19 None that go unto her return, neither do they attain unto the paths of life;

None that go to her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

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

That you may 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 whole-hearted shall remain in it.

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 faithless shall be plucked up out of it.

But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.