Proverbs 2

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

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and wilt hide my commandments with thee,

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

That thy ear may hearken to wisdom: Incline thy heart to know prudence:

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

For if thou shalt call for wisdom, and incline thy heart to prudence:

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

If thou shalt seek her as money, and shalt dig for her as for a treasure:

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

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

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

Because the Lord giveth wisdom: and out of his mouth cometh prudence and knowledge.

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

He will keep the salvation of the righteous, and protect them that walk in simplicity.

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

Keeping the paths of justice, and guarding the ways of saints.

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

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

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

If wisdom shall enter into thy heart, and knowledge please thy soul:

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

Counsel shall keep thee, and prudence shall preserve thee,

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

That thou mayst be delivered from the evil way, and from the man that speaketh perverse things:

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

Who leave the right way, and walk by dark ways:

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

Who are glad when they have done evil, and rejoice in most wicked things:

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

Whose ways are perverse, and their steps infamous.

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

That thou mayst be delivered from the strange women, and from the stranger, who softeneth her words:

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

And forsaketh the guide of her youth,

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

And hath forgotten the covenant of her God: for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths to hell. (questioned)

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

None that go in unto her shall return again, neither shall they take 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 thou mayst walk in a good way: and mayst keep the paths of the just.

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

For they that are upright shall dwell in the earth, and the simple shall continue 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 destroyed from the earth: and they that do unjustly shall be taken away from it.