Proverbs 2
1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
My son, listen to what I say, and [consider my instructions to be as valuable as] [MET] a treasure.
2 make your ears pay attention to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding.
Pay attention to wisdom and try hard to understand it.
3 If you cry out for understanding and raise your voice for it,
Call out [to God] to get insight; plead with him to help you to understand more [of what he wants you to know].
4 if you seek it like you would seek silver and search for understanding as you would seek hidden treasures,
Search [eagerly] for wisdom, like you would search for silver, like you would search for a treasure that someone has hidden.
5 then you will understand the fear of Yahweh and you will find the knowledge of God.
If you do that, you will understand how to revere Yahweh, and you will succeed in knowing God.
6 For Yahweh gives wisdom, from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
Yahweh is the one who gives us wisdom. He is the one who tells us things that we need to know and understand.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for those who please him, he is a shield for those who walk in integrity,
He gives good advice to those who conduct their lives as they should. He protects [MET] those who do what is right.
8 he guards the paths of justice and he will preserve the way of those who are faithful to him.
He guards those who act justly/fairly [toward others], and he watches over those who are faithful/loyal [to him].
9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and equity, and every good path.
[If you ask God for wisdom], you will understand what is right and just [DOU] [to do], and [you will know] the right way to conduct your life,
10 For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
because you will be wise in your inner being; and knowing [what God wants you to know] will cause you to be joyful.
11 Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you.
If you know [PRS] how to choose what is right to do and if you understand [what God wants] you to do, God will protect you and guard you and keep you safe.
12 They will rescue you from the way of evil, from those who speak perverse things,
If you are wise [PRS], you will not do what evil people do, and you will not [believe what] deceitful people say.
13 who abandon the right paths and walk in the ways of darkness.
Deceitful people have stopped acting fairly/justly [toward others] and (walk on dark and evil paths/do what evil people do) [MET].
14 They rejoice when they do evil and delight in the perversities of evil.
They enjoy doing what is wrong; they like to do what is evil and to deceive [people].
15 They follow crooked paths, and using deception they hide their tracks.
They (walk on crooked paths/always deceive others) and are always dishonest.
16 Wisdom and discretion will save you from an adulterous woman, from an immoral woman and her flattering words.
If you are wise [PRS], you will [also] be saved from (immoral women/prostitutes); you will not pay attention when adulterous women try to (seduce/entice you by what they say.)
17 She forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.
Those women have left the husbands whom they married when they were young; they have disregarded the solemn promise they made to God [not to commit adultery].
18 For her house leads down to death and her tracks will lead you to those in the grave.
If you go into houses of women who are like that, you will die [when you are still young]; the road [to their houses] leads to hell. (questioned)
19 All who go in to her will not return again and they will not find the paths of life.
No man who (visits/sleeps with) a woman like that will again [live harmoniously with his family]. He will never have a [happy] life again.
20 So you will walk in the way of good people and follow the paths of righteous people.
If [you are wise], you should behave like good men behave. You should (stay on the paths that righteous [people] walk on/do what godly people do) [MET],
21 For those doing right will make a home in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
because only godly people will live in this land [and receive God’s blessings]; [only] those who have not done wrong will stay here [for a long time].
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the faithless will be cut off from it.
Wicked [people] will be expelled from this land, and [people] who are not trustworthy will be thrown {God will throw them} out of it.
