2
The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security
My son, if you will Areceive my words
And Btreasure my commandments within you,
AMake your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
For if you cry for discernment,
1Lift your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as Asilver
And search for her as for Bhidden treasures;
Then you will discern the Afear of the Loʀᴅ
And discover the knowledge of God.
For Athe Loʀᴅ gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a Ashield to those who walk in integrity,
Guarding the paths of justice,
And He Apreserves the way of His godly ones.
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.
A 2:1 Prov 4:10 B 2:1 Prov 3:1 A 2:2 Prov 22:17 1 2:3 Lit Give A 2:4 Prov 3:14 B 2:4 Job 3:21; Matt 13:44 A 2:5 Prov 1:7 A 2:6 1 Kin 3:12; Job 32:8; James 1:5 A 2:7 Ps 84:11; Prov 30:5 A 2:8 1 Sam 2:9; Ps 66:9 A 2:9 Prov 8:20 B 2:9 Prov 4:18 A 2:10 Prov 14:33 B 2:10 Prov 22:18 A 2:11 Prov 4:6; 6:22 A 2:12 Prov 28:26 B 2:12 Prov 6:12 A 2:13 Prov 21:16 B 2:13 Ps 82:5; Prov 4:19; John 3:19, 20 A 2:14 Prov 10:23; Jer 11:15 A 2:15 Ps 125:5; Prov 21:8 A 2:16 Prov 6:24; 7:5 1 2:16 Lit strange woman B 2:16 Prov 23:27 A 2:17 Mal 2:14, 15 B 2:17 Gen 2:24 A 2:18 Prov 7:27 1 2:18 Lit bows down 2 2:18 Lit departed spirits A 2:19 Eccl 7:26 B 2:19 Ps 16:11; Prov 5:6 A 2:20 Heb 6:12 B 2:20 Prov 4:18 A 2:21 Ps 37:9, 29; Prov 10:30 1 2:21 Or dwell B 2:21 Prov 28:10 A 2:22 Ps 37:38; Prov 10:30 B 2:22 Prov 11:3 C 2:22 Deut 28:63; Ps 52:5