Proverbs 2

Rewards of Wisdom

2My child, listen to what I say

and remember what I command you.

²Listen carefully to wisdom;

set your mind on understanding.

³Cry out for wisdom,

and beg for understanding.

⁴Search for it like silver,

and hunt for it like hidden treasure.

⁵Then you will understand respect for the Lord,

and you will find that you know God.

⁶Only the Lord gives wisdom;

he gives knowledge and understanding.

⁷He stores up wisdom for those who are honest.

Like a shield he protects the innocent.

⁸He makes sure that justice is done,

and he protects those who are loyal to him.

⁹Then you will understand what is honest and fair

and what is the good and right thing to do.

¹⁰Wisdom will come into your mind,

and knowledge will be pleasing to you.

¹¹Good sense will protect you;

understanding will guard you.

¹²It will keep you from the wicked,

from those whose words are bad,

¹³who don’t do what is right

but what is evil.

¹⁴They enjoy doing wrong

and are happy to do what is crooked and evil.

¹⁵What they do is wrong,

and their ways are dishonest.

¹⁶It will save you from the unfaithful wife

who tries to lead you into adultery with pleasing words.

¹⁷She leaves the husband she married when she was young.

She ignores the promise she made before God.

¹⁸Her house is on the way to death;

those who took that path are now all dead.

¹⁹No one who goes to her comes back

or walks the path of life again.

²⁰But wisdom will help you be good

and do what is right.

²¹Those who are honest will live in the land,

and those who are innocent will remain in it.

²²But the wicked will be removed from the land,

and the unfaithful will be thrown out of it.