Proverbs 2

1 My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you,

My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,

2 so as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,

3 yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,

4 if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;

if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,

5 then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and find the knowledge of God.

then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.

6 For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,

8 that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints.

to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.

10 For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.

11 Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you,

12 to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things,

to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,

13 who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness,

from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

14 who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil,

from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,

15 who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths,

whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.

16 to deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words,

It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words

17 who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God;

who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

18 for her house leads down to death, her paths to the departed spirits.

For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.

19 None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life.

None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.

20 Therefore walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21 For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.

For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;

22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.

but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.