Proverbs 2
Wisdom leads you on God's ways
1 My son, if you will receive my words
and store my advices inside you;
2 Paying attention to wisdom
and turning your mind toward understanding;
3 Yes, if you will call for insight
and raise your voice for discernment;
4 If you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
7 He reserves the wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk blameless.
8 Guards the paths of justice,
protecting the ways of faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
as well as fairness and every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.
Wisdom saves you from mistakes
12 Wisdom will save you from evil ways
and from those people who speak deceitfully;
13 Who went astray from right path
and walk the ways of darkness;
14 Who delight in doing evil
and take joy in being deceitful;
15 Whose tracks are crooked
and whose paths are devious.
16 Wisdom will save you also from someone else's partner
and from loose women with smooth talk;
17 Who leaves the partner of her youth
and forgets the covenant she made before God;
18 For her house leads down to death
and her paths to the dead.
19 None who gos to her returns
and they never regain the path to life.
The upright will live in the land
20 Thus you will walk on the ways of the good people
and keep to the paths of the righteous!
21 For the upright will live in the land
and only the pure-hearted will remain there!
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land
and the unfaithful all will be rooted out of it!
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