he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is (A)a shield to those who (B)walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice
    and (C)watching over the way of his (D)saints.
(E)Then you will understand (F)righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 (G)discretion will (H)watch over you,
    understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
    from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to (I)walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who (J)rejoice in doing evil
    and (K)delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose (L)paths are crooked,
    (M)and who are (N)devious in their ways.

16 So (O)you will be delivered from the forbidden[a] woman,
    from (P)the adulteress[b] with (Q)her smooth words,
17 who forsakes (R)the companion of her youth
    and forgets (S)the covenant of her God;
18 (T)for her house sinks down to death,
    and her paths to the departed;[c]
19 none who go to her come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.

20 So you will walk in the way of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright (U)will inhabit the land,
    and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be (V)cut off from the land,
    and the treacherous will be (W)rooted out of it.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew strange
  2. Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew foreign woman
  3. Proverbs 2:18 Hebrew to the Rephaim

he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,(A)
guarding the paths of justice
    and preserving the way of his faithful ones.(B)
Then you will understand righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path,(C)
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 prudence will watch over you,
    and understanding will guard you.
12 It will save you from the way of evil,
    from those who speak perversely,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to walk in the ways of darkness,(D)
14 who rejoice in doing evil
    and delight in the perverseness of evil,(E)
15 those whose paths are crooked
    and who are devious in their ways.(F)

16 You will be saved from the loose woman,[a]
    from the adulteress[b] with her smooth words,(G)
17 who forsakes the partner of her youth
    and forgets her sacred covenant,
18 for her way[c] leads down to death
    and her paths to the shades;(H)
19 those who go to her never come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.

20 Therefore walk in the way of the good,
    and keep to the paths of the just.
21 For the upright will abide in the land,
    and the innocent will remain in it,(I)
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
    and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.(J)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2.16 Heb strange woman
  2. 2.16 Heb alien woman
  3. 2.18 Cn: Heb house

He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield(A) to those whose walk is blameless,(B)
for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.(C)

Then you will understand(D) what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,(E)
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.(F)

12 Wisdom will save(G) you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,(H)
14 who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,(I)
15 whose paths are crooked(J)
    and who are devious in their ways.(K)

16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,(L)
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a](M)
18 Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.(N)
19 None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.(O)

20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,(P)
    and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked(Q) will be cut off from the land,(R)
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.(S)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God

Warnings Against Adultery

20 (A)My son, keep your father's commandment,
    (B)and forsake not your mother's teaching.
21 (C)Bind them on your heart always;
    (D)tie them around your neck.
22 (E)When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
    (F)when you lie down, they will (G)watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is (H)a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the (I)reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,[b]
    from the smooth tongue of (J)the adulteress.[c]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew it; three times in this verse
  2. Proverbs 6:24 Revocalization (compare Septuagint) yields from the wife of a neighbor
  3. Proverbs 6:24 Hebrew the foreign woman

20 My child, keep your father’s commandment,
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(A)
21 Bind them upon your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.(B)
22 When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
    when you lie down, they[b] will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they[c] will talk with you.(C)
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,(D)
24 to preserve you from the wife of another,[d]
    from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[e](E)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 6.22 Heb it
  2. 6.22 Heb it
  3. 6.22 Heb it
  4. 6.24 Gk: MT the evil woman
  5. 6.24 Heb alien woman

Warning Against Adultery

20 My son,(A) keep your father’s command
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(B)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
    fasten them around your neck.(C)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
    when you sleep, they will watch over you;
    when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
    this teaching is a light,(D)
and correction and instruction
    are the way to life,(E)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
    from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(F)

Read full chapter

Warning Against the Adulteress

(A)My son, keep my words
    and (B)treasure up my commandments with you;
(C)keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teaching as (D)the apple of your eye;
(E)bind them on your fingers;
    (F)write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and call insight your intimate friend,
to keep you from (G)the forbidden[a] woman,
    from (H)the adulteress[b] with her smooth words.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew strange
  2. Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman

The False Attractions of Adultery

My child, keep my words
    and store up my commandments with you;(A)
keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teachings as the apple[a] of your eye;(B)
bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and call insight your intimate friend,
that they may keep you from the loose woman,[b]
    from the adulteress[c] with her smooth words.(D)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 7.2 Heb little man
  2. 7.5 Heb strange woman
  3. 7.5 Heb alien woman

Warning Against the Adulterous Woman

My son,(A) keep my words
    and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live;(B)
    guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and to insight, “You are my relative.”
They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words.(D)

Read full chapter

19 (A)When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
    (B)but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Read full chapter

19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
    but the prudent are restrained in speech.(A)

Read full chapter

19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
    but the prudent hold their tongues.(A)

Read full chapter

By the mouth of a fool comes (A)a rod for his back,[a]
    (B)but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:3 Or In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride

The talk of fools is a rod for their backs,[a]
    but the lips of the wise preserve them.(A)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 14.3 Cn: Heb a rod of pride

A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride,(A)
    but the lips of the wise protect them.(B)

Read full chapter

10 (A)The name of the Lord is (B)a strong tower;
    the righteous man runs into it and (C)is safe.

Read full chapter

10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
    the righteous run into it and are safe.(A)

Read full chapter

10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;(A)
    the righteous run to it and are safe.(B)

Read full chapter

23 (A)Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    (B)keeps himself out of (C)trouble.

Read full chapter

23 To watch over mouth and tongue
    is to keep out of trouble.(A)

Read full chapter

23 Those who guard their mouths(A) and their tongues
    keep themselves from calamity.(B)

Read full chapter

(A)Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
    whoever (B)guards his soul will keep far from them.

Read full chapter

Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
    the cautious will keep far from them.(A)

Read full chapter

In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,(A)
    but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

Read full chapter

24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
    nor go with a wrathful man,
25 lest you learn his ways
    and entangle yourself in a snare.

Read full chapter

24 Make no friends with those given to anger,
    and do not associate with hotheads,
25 lest you learn their ways
    and entangle yourself in a snare.

Read full chapter

Saying 3

24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
    do not associate with one easily angered,
25 or you may learn their ways
    and get yourself ensnared.(A)

Read full chapter