Proverbs 2

The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

1 My son, if you will ^areceive my words
And ^btreasure my commandments within you,
2 ^cMake your ear attentive to wisdom;
Incline your heart to understanding.
3 For if you cry out for insight,
And ▼

▼Lit give

raise your voice for understanding;
4 If you seek her as ^esilver
And search for her as for ^fhidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the ^gfear of the Lord,
And discover the knowledge of God.
6 For ^hthe Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a ⁱshield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He ^jwatches over the way of His godly ones.
9 Then you will discern ^krighteousness, justice,
And integrity, and every ^lgood path.
10 For ^mwisdom will enter your heart,
And ⁿknowledge will be delightful to your soul;
11 Discretion will ^owatch over you,
Understanding will guard you,
12 To ^prescue you from the way of evil,
From a person who speaks ^qperverse things;
13 From those who ^rleave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ^sways of darkness;
14 Who ^tdelight in doing evil
And rejoice in the perversity of evil;
15 Whose paths are ^ucrooked,
And who are devious in their ways;
16 To ^vrescue you from the strange woman,
From the ^wforeign woman who flatters with her words,
17 Who leaves the ^xcompanion of her youth
And forgets the ^ycovenant of her God;
18 For ^zher house sinks down to death,
And her tracks lead to the ▼

▼Lit departed spirits

dead;
19 None ^abwho go to her return,
Nor do they reach the ^acpaths of life.
20 So you will ^adwalk in the way of good people
And keep to the ^aepaths of the righteous.
21 For ^afthe upright will live in the land,
And ^agthe blameless will remain in it;
22 But ^ahthe wicked will be eliminated from the land,
And ^aithe treacherous will be ^ajtorn away from it.