Proverbs 2

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

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

2 so as to incline thine ear to wisdom, and apply thy heart to understanding,

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

3 yea, if thou cry after discernment, and lift up thy voice for understanding,

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

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

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

5 then thou shall understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge of God.

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

6 For Jehovah gives wisdom. Out of his mouth is knowledge and understanding.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11 discretion shall watch over thee, understanding shall keep thee,

Discretion shall watch over thee, discernment shall guard thee;

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

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

13 who forsake 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 perverseness of evil,

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

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

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

16 to deliver thee from the interloping woman, even from the stranger who flatters with her words,

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

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

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

18 (for her house inclines to death, and her paths to the dead;

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

19 none who go to her return again, nor do they attain to the paths of life),

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

20 that thou may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

That thou mayest 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 perfect shall remain in it.

For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the whole-hearted shall remain in it.

22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.

But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the faithless shall be plucked up out of it.