2 My son, if you will ^(A)receive my words
And ^(B)treasure my commandments within you,
^2 (C)Make your ear attentive to wisdom;
Incline your heart to understanding.
³ For if you cry out for insight,
And ^[a]raise your voice for understanding;
⁴ If you seek her as ^(D)silver
And search for her as for ^(E)hidden treasures;
⁵ Then you will understand the ^(F)fear of the Lord,
And discover the knowledge of God.

^7 (A)Do not be wise in your own eyes;
^(B)Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be ^(C)healing to your ^[a]body
And ^(D)refreshment to your bones.

²⁷ The ^(A)fear of the Lord prolongs ^[a]life,
But the ^(B)years of the wicked will be shortened.

² One who ^(A)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But one who is ^(B)devious in his ways despises Him.

²⁶ In ^[a](A)the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And ^[b]his children will have refuge.
^27 [c]The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
By which one may avoid the snares of death.

^16 (A)Better is a little with ^[a]the fear of the Lord
Than great treasure, and turmoil with ^[b]the treasure.