Proverbs 2

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

My son, if thou wouldst but accept my words, and treasure up my commandments with thee;

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

To let thy ear listen unto wisdom: [if] thou wouldst incline thy heart to understanding.

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

For if thou wilt call after intelligence; if after understanding thou wilt lift up thy voice;

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

If thou wilt seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:

5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find 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 giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledge and discernment;

For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [come] knowledge and understanding.

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

He treasureth up sound wisdom for the righteous, as a shield to those that walk in integrity:

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

That men may keep the paths of justice; and the way of his pious servants doth he guard.

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

Then wilt thou understand righteousness, and justice, and equity: yea, every track of goodness.

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

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

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

Discretion will watch over thee, understanding will keep thee;

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

To deliver thee from the way of the bad, from the man that speaketh perverse things;

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

[From those] who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

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

Who rejoice to do evil, who are delighted in the perverseness of the bad;

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

Who as regardeth their paths are crooked, and froward in their tracks.

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

To deliver thee from the adulteress, from the alien woman that useth flattering speeches;

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

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

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

For she sinketh unto death—her house, and unto the departed [lead] her tracks.

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

All that come unto her return not again, and they will not reach the paths of life.

20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep 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 shall dwell in the land, and the whole-hearted shall remain in it.

For the upright will dwell on the earth, and the perfect will be left remaining on 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 will be cut off from the earth, and the treacherous shall be plucked up therefrom.