Proverbs 2

CHAPTER 2

Yahweh Gives Wisdom

¹My son, if you will ^areceive my words

And ^btreasure my commandments within you,

^2aTo make your ear pay attention to wisdom,

Incline your heart to discernment;

³For if you call out for understanding,

Give your voice for discernment;

⁴If you seek her as ^asilver

And search for her as for ^bhidden treasures;

⁵Then you will understand the ^afear of Yahweh

And find the knowledge of God.

⁶For ^aYahweh gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and discernment.

⁷He stores up sound wisdom for the upright,

A ^ashield to those who walk in integrity,

⁸To guard the paths of justice,

And He ^akeeps the way of His holy ones.

⁹Then you will understand ^arighteousness and justice

And equity—every ^bgood track.

¹⁰For ^awisdom will enter your heart

And ^bknowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

¹¹Discretion will ^akeep you,

Discernment will guard you,

¹²To ^adeliver you from the way of evil,

From the man who speaks ^bperverse things;

¹³From those who ^aforsake the paths of uprightness

To walk in the ^bways of darkness;

¹⁴Who are ^aglad to do evil

And they rejoice in the perversity of evil;

¹⁵Whose paths are ^acrooked,

And who are devious in their tracks;

¹⁶To deliver you from the ^1astrange woman,

From the ^2bforeign woman who flatters with her words;

¹⁷Who forsakes the close ^acompanion of her youth

And forgets the ^bcovenant of her God;

¹⁸For ^aher house ¹sinks down to death

And her tracks descend to the ²dead;

¹⁹All ^awho go to her will not return,

And they will not reach the ^bpaths of life.

²⁰So that you will ^awalk in the way of good men

And keep to the ^bpaths of the righteous.

²¹For ^athe upright will dwell in the land

And ^bthe blameless will remain in it;

²²But ^athe wicked will be cut off from the land

And ^bthe treacherous will be ^ctorn away from it.