Chapter 2

The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

1 My son, if you will areceive my words

And btreasure my commandments within you,

2 aMake your ear attentive to wisdom,

Incline your heart to understanding;

3 For if you cry for discernment,

1Lift your voice for understanding;

4 If you seek her as asilver

And search for her as for bhidden treasures;

5 Then you will discern the afear of the Lord

And discover the knowledge of God.

6 For athe Lord gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a ashield to those who walk in integrity,

8 Guarding the paths of justice,

And He apreserves the way of His godly ones.

9 Then you will discern arighteousness and justice

And equity and every bgood course.

10 For awisdom will enter your heart

And bknowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

11 Discretion will aguard you,

Understanding will watch over you,

12 To adeliver you from the way of evil,

From the man who speaks bperverse things;

13 From those who aleave the paths of uprightness

To walk in the bways of darkness;

14 Who adelight in doing evil

And rejoice in the perversity of evil;

15 Whose paths are acrooked,

And who are devious in their ways;

16 To adeliver you from the strange woman,

From the 1badulteress who flatters with her words;

17 That leaves the acompanion of her youth

And forgets the bcovenant of her God;

18 For aher house 1sinks down to death

And her tracks lead to the 2dead;

19 None awho go to her return again,

Nor do they reach the bpaths of life.

20 So you will awalk in the way of good men

And keep to the bpaths of the righteous.

21 For athe upright will 1live in the land

And bthe blameless will remain in it;

22 But athe wicked will be cut off from the land

And bthe treacherous will be cuprooted from it.