Proverbs 2

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

My son,^a if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding^b—

indeed, if you call out for insight^c

and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,^d

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.^e

For the Lord gives wisdom;^f

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.^g

He holds success in store for the upright,

he is a shield^h to those whose walk is blameless,ⁱ

for he guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.^j

Then you will understand^k what is right and just

and fair—every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,^l

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you.^m

Wisdom will saveⁿ you from the ways of wicked men,

from men whose words are perverse,

who have left the straight paths

to walk in dark ways,^o

who delight in doing wrong

and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,^p

whose paths are crooked^q

and who are devious in their ways.^r

Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,^s

from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

who has left the partner of her youth

and ignored the covenant she made before God.^t

Surely her house leads down to death

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

None who go to her return

or attain the paths of life.^v

Thus you will walk in the ways of the just

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright will live in the land,^w

and the blameless will remain in it;

but the wicked^x will be cut off from the land,^y

and the unfaithful will be torn from it.^z