Proverbs 2
The Benefits of Wisdom
¹ My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,
² if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,
³ if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
⁴ if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,
⁸ to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.
⁹ Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.
¹¹ Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you,
¹² to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,
¹³ from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴ from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,
¹⁵ whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.
¹⁶ It will rescue you from the forbidden woman,1 from the stranger 2 with seductive words
¹⁷ who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.
¹⁸ For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.3
¹⁹ None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.
²⁰ So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.