Proverbs 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

That He may guard the paths of justice, and preserve 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 justice, and equity, yea, every good path.

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

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

11 Discretion shall preserve you, understanding shall keep you:

Discretion shall watch over thee, discernment shall guard 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 men that speak froward things;

13 Who leave 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 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:

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

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

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

17 Which forsakes the guide 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 that go to her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

None that go unto her return, neither do they attain unto 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 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 earth, and the transgressors 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.