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 for discernment,
^[a]Lift 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 discern 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 He who ^(A)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is ^(B)devious in his ways despises Him.

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

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