Proverbs 2

1 Oh, my son, that thou wouldst receive my words, And treasure up my precepts within thee;

My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you;

2 That thou wouldst apply thine ear to wisdom, And incline thy heart to understanding!

So as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

3 For if thou wilt call aloud to knowledge, And lift up thy voice to understanding, —

Yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

4 If thou wilt seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures,

If you 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 you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the LORD giveth wisdom; From his mouth proceed knowledge and understanding:

For the LORD gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

7 He layeth up safety for the righteous; He is a shield to them that walk uprightly:

He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity;

8 He guardeth the paths of equity, And defendeth the way of his servants.

that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his faithful ones.

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

Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

10 When wisdom entereth into thy heart, And knowledge is pleasant to thy soul,

For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11 Discretion will guard thee, Understanding will preserve thee.

Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

12 It will deliver thee from the way of the wicked, From the men who speak perverse things;

to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things;

13 Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14 Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perverseness of the wicked;

who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil;

15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are froward in their ways.

who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths:

16 It will deliver thee from the wife of another, From the stranger, who useth smooth words;

To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;

17 Who forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God.

who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God:

18 For her house sinketh down to Death, And her paths to the shades of the dead:

for her house leads down to death, her paths to the dead.

19 None that go to her return again; They will not attain the paths of life.

None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

20 Therefore walk thou in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous:

that you may 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 righteous shall remain in it;

For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.

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

But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be uprooted out of it.