Proverbs 2

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

2My son,^x if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

²turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding^y—

³indeed, if you call out for insight^z

and cry aloud for understanding,

⁴and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,^a

⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.^b

⁶For the Lord gives wisdom;^c

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.^d

⁷He holds success in store for the upright,

he is a shield^e to those whose walk is blameless,^f

⁸for he guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.^g

⁹Then you will understand^h what is right and just

and fair—every good path.

¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart,ⁱ

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you.^j

¹²Wisdom will save^k you from the ways of wicked men,

from men whose words are perverse,

¹³who have left the straight paths

to walk in dark ways,^l

¹⁴who delight in doing wrong

and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,^m

¹⁵whose paths are crookedⁿ

and who are devious in their ways.^o

¹⁶Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,^p

from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

¹⁷who has left the partner of her youth

and ignored the covenant she made before God.^aq

¹⁸Surely her house leads down to death

and her paths to the spirits of the dead.^r

¹⁹None who go to her return

or attain the paths of life.^s

²⁰Thus you will walk in the ways of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright will live in the land,^t

and the blameless will remain in it;

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

and the unfaithful will be torn from it.^w