Proverbs 2

1 My son, if you will receive my words, and hide my commandments with you;

My son, if thou receivest my words, and layest up my commandments with thee,

2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom [and] thou apply thy heart to understanding;

3 Yes, if you cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding;

yea, if thou criest after discernment [and] liftest up thy voice to understanding;

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

if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasures:

5 Then shall you understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

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

6 For the LORD gives wisdom: out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

For Jehovah giveth wisdom; out of his mouth [come] knowledge and understanding.

7 He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

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

8 He keeps the paths of judgment, and preserves the way of his saints.

guarding the paths of just judgment and keeping the way of his godly ones.

9 Then shall you understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yes, every good path.

Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity: every good path.

10 When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul;

When wisdom entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul,

11 Discretion shall preserve you, understanding shall keep you:

discretion shall keep thee, understanding shall preserve thee:

12 To deliver you from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaks fraudulent things;

To deliver thee from the way of evil, from the man that speaketh froward 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 the wicked;

who rejoice to do evil, [and] delight in the frowardness of evil;

15 Whose ways are crooked, and they fraudulent in their paths:

whose paths are crooked, and who are perverted in their course:

16 To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flatters with her words;

To deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words;

17 Which forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.

who forsaketh the guide 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 inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead;

19 None that go to her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

none that go unto her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

20 That you may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

— that thou mayest walk in the way of the good, 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 perfect shall remain in it;

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

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