Proverbs 2

WISDOM’S WORTH

2My son, if you accept my words^f

and store up my commands within you,

²listening closely^C to wisdom

and directing your heart to understanding;

³furthermore, if you call out to insight

and lift your voice to understanding,

⁴if you seek it like silver

and search for it like hidden treasure,^g

⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and discover the knowledge of God.

⁶For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.^h

⁷He stores up success^D for the upright;

He is a shield for those who live with integrityⁱ

⁸so that he may guard the paths of justice

and protect the way of his faithful followers.^j

⁹Then you will understand righteousness, justice,

and integrity—every good path.

¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will delight you.

¹¹Discretion will watch over you,

and understanding will guard you.^k

¹²It will rescue you from the way of evil—

from anyone who says perverse things,

¹³from those who abandon the right paths

to walk in ways of darkness,^l

¹⁴from those who enjoy doing evil^m

and celebrate perversion,

¹⁵whose paths are crooked,ⁿ

and whose ways are devious.^o

¹⁶It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,^p

from a wayward woman with her flattering talk,^q

¹⁷who abandons the companion of her youth^r

and forgets the covenant of her God;

¹⁸for her house sinks down to death

and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.^s

¹⁹None return who go to her;

none reach the paths of life.^t

²⁰So follow the way of the good,^u

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright will inhabit the land,

and those of integrity will remain in it;^v

²²but the wicked will be cut off from the land,^w

and the treacherous ripped out of it.^x