2 My son, if you accept my words^(A)
and store up my commands within you,
² listening closely^[a] to wisdom
and directing your heart to understanding;
³ furthermore, if you call out to insight
and lift your voice to understanding,
⁴ if you seek it like silver
and search for it like hidden treasure,^(B)
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and discover the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.^(C)
7 He stores up success^[b] for the upright;
He is a shield for those who live with integrity^(D)
8 so that he may guard the paths of justice
and protect the way of his faithful followers.^(E)
9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice,
and integrity – every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will delight you.
¹¹ Discretion will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you.^(F)
12 It will rescue you from the way of evil –
from anyone who says perverse things,
¹³ from those who abandon the right paths
to walk in ways of darkness,^(G)
14 from those who enjoy doing evil^(H)
and celebrate perversion,
¹⁵ whose paths are crooked,^(I)
and whose ways are devious.^(J)
16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,^(K)
from a wayward woman with her flattering talk,^(L)
17 who abandons the companion of her youth^(M)
and forgets the covenant of her God;
¹⁸ for her house sinks down to death
and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.^(N)
19 None return who go to her;
none reach the paths of life.^(O)
20 So follow the way of the good,^(P)
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those of integrity will remain in it;^(Q)
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,^(R)
and the treacherous ripped out of it.^(S)