Proverbs 2

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

My son, listen to what I say, and [consider my instructions to be as valuable as] [MET] a treasure.

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

Pay attention to wisdom and try hard to understand it.

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

Call out [to God] to get insight; plead with him to help you to understand more [of what he wants you to know].

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

Search [eagerly] for wisdom, like you would search for silver, like you would search for a treasure that someone has hidden.

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

If you do that, you will understand how to revere Yahweh, and you will succeed in knowing God.

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

Yahweh is the one who gives us wisdom. He is the one who tells us things that we need to know and understand.

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

He gives good advice to those who conduct their lives as they should. He protects [MET] those who do what is right.

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

He guards those who act justly/fairly [toward others], and he watches over those who are faithful/loyal [to him].

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

[If you ask God for wisdom], you will understand what is right and just [DOU] [to do], and [you will know] the right way to conduct your life,

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

because you will be wise in your inner being; and knowing [what God wants you to know] will cause you to be joyful.

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

If you know [PRS] how to choose what is right to do and if you understand [what God wants] you to do, God will protect you and guard you and keep you safe.

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

If you are wise [PRS], you will not do what evil people do, and you will not [believe what] deceitful people say.

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

Deceitful people have stopped acting fairly/justly [toward others] and (walk on dark and evil paths/do what evil people do) [MET].

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

They enjoy doing what is wrong; they like to do what is evil and to deceive [people].

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

They (walk on crooked paths/always deceive others) and are always dishonest.

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

If you are wise [PRS], you will [also] be saved from (immoral women/prostitutes); you will not pay attention when adulterous women try to (seduce/entice you by what they say.)

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

Those women have left the husbands whom they married when they were young; they have disregarded the solemn promise they made to God [not to commit adultery].

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

If you go into houses of women who are like that, you will die [when you are still young]; the road [to their houses] leads to hell. (questioned)

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

No man who (visits/sleeps with) a woman like that will again [live harmoniously with his family]. He will never have a [happy] life again.

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

If [you are wise], you should behave like good men behave. You should (stay on the paths that righteous [people] walk on/do what godly people do) [MET],

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

because only godly people will live in this land [and receive God’s blessings]; [only] those who have not done wrong will stay here [for a long time].

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

Wicked [people] will be expelled from this land, and [people] who are not trustworthy will be thrown {God will throw them} out of it.