Proverbs 2
1 My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,
My son, if thou wouldst but accept my words, and treasure up my commandments with thee;
2 if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,
To let thy ear listen unto wisdom: [if] thou wouldst incline thy heart to understanding.
3 if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
For if thou wilt call after intelligence; if after understanding thou wilt lift up thy voice;
4 if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,
If thou wilt seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:
5 then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.
Then wilt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and the knowledge of God wilt thou find.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [come] knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,
He treasureth up sound wisdom for the righteous, as a shield to those that walk in integrity:
8 to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.
That men may keep the paths of justice; and the way of his pious servants doth he guard.
9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.
Then wilt thou understand righteousness, and justice, and equity: yea, every track of goodness.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.
For wisdom will enter thy heart, and knowledge will be pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you,
Discretion will watch over thee, understanding will keep thee;
12 to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,
To deliver thee from the way of the bad, from the man that speaketh perverse things;
13 from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,
[From those] who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,
Who rejoice to do evil, who are delighted in the perverseness of the bad;
15 whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.
Who as regardeth their paths are crooked, and froward in their tracks.
16 It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
To deliver thee from the adulteress, from the alien woman that useth flattering speeches;
17 who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.
That forsaketh the friend of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18 For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.
For she sinketh unto death—her house, and unto the departed [lead] her tracks.
19 None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.
All that come unto her return not again, and they will not reach the paths of life.
20 So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
In order that thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and observe the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
For the upright will dwell on the earth, and the perfect will be left remaining on it.
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.
But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the treacherous shall be plucked up therefrom.
