Proverbs 2

¹My son, if you would accept my words, and conceal my commandments within you,

²so that your ears may listen to wisdom, then bend your heart in order to know prudence.

³For if you would call upon wisdom and bend your heart to prudence,

⁴if you will seek her like money, and dig for her as if for treasure,

⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and you will discover the knowledge of God.

⁶For the Lord bestows wisdom, and out of his mouth, prudence and knowledge.

⁷He will preserve the salvation of the righteous, and he will protect those who walk in simplicity:

⁸serving the paths of justice, and guarding the ways of sanctity.

⁹Then you shall understand justice and judgment, and equity, and every good path.

¹⁰If wisdom is to enter into your heart, and if knowledge is to become pleasing to your soul,

¹¹then counsel must guard you, and prudence must serve you,

¹²so that you may be rescued from the evil way, and from the man who speaks perversities,

¹³from those who leave the straight path to walk in dark ways,

¹⁴who rejoice when they have done evil, and who exult in the most wicked things.

¹⁵Their ways are perverse, and their steps are infamous.

¹⁶So may you be rescued from the foreign woman, and from the outsider, who softens her speech,

¹⁷and who leaves behind the Guide of her youth,

¹⁸and who has forgotten the covenant of her God. For her household inclines toward death, and her paths toward Hell.

¹⁹All those who enter to her will not return again, nor will they take hold of the paths of life.

²⁰So may you walk in the good way, and keep to the difficult paths of the just.

²¹For those who are upright shall live upon the earth, and the simple shall continue upon it.

²²Yet truly, the impious shall perish from the earth, and those who act unjustly shall be taken away from it.

¹My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and wilt hide my commandments with thee,

²That thy ear may hearken to wisdom: incline thy heart to know prudence.

³For if thou shalt call for wisdom, and incline thy heart to prudence:

⁴If thou shalt seek her as money, and shalt dig for her as for a treasure:

⁵Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and shalt find the knowledge of God:

⁶Because the Lord giveth wisdom: and out of his mouth cometh prudence and knowledge.

⁷He wilt keep the salvation of the righteous, and protect them that walk in simplicity,

⁸Keeping the paths of justice, and guarding the ways of saints.

⁹Then shalt thou understand justice, and judgment, and equity, and every good path.

¹⁰If wisdom shall enter into thy heart, and knowledge please thy soul:

¹¹Counsel shall keep thee, and prudence shall preserve thee,

¹²That thou mayst be delivered from the evil way, and from the man that speaketh perverse things:

¹³Who leave the right way, and walk by dark ways:

¹⁴Who are glad when they have done evil, and rejoice in the most wicked things:

¹⁵Whose ways are perverse, and their steps infamous.

¹⁶That thou mayst be delivered from the strange woman, and from the stranger, who softeneth her words;

¹⁷And forsaketh the guide of her youth,

¹⁸And hath forgotten the covenant of her God: for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths to hell.

¹⁹None that go in unto her, shall return again, neither shall they take hold of the paths of life.

²⁰That thou mayst walk in a good way: and mayst keep the paths of the just.

²¹For they that are upright, shall dwell in the earth; and the simple shall continue in it.

²²But the wicked shall be destroyed from the earth: and they that do unjustly, shall be taken away from it.