Proverbs 2
International Standard Version
The Benefits of Embracing Wisdom
2 My son, if you accept my words,
and treasure my instructions[a]—
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom,
and turning your heart to understanding—
3 if, indeed, you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it like hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and learn to know God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright
and is a shield to those who walk in integrity—
8 guarding the paths of the just
and protecting the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just,
and upright—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion[b] will protect you;
understanding will watch over you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men who speak perverse things,
13 and from those who abandon the right[c] path
to travel along the ways of darkness;
14 who delight in doing evil,
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil;
15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways,
16 delivering you from the adulteress,
from the immoral[d] woman with her seductive words,
17 someone who abandoned the companion of her youth
and forgot the covenant of her God.
18 For her house leads down to death,
and her paths down to the realm of the dead.
19 None who go to her return,
nor do they reach the paths of life.
20 This is how you will walk in the way of good men
and will keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
and people of integrity will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be uprooted from it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:1 Lit. instructions within you
- Proverbs 2:11 Or Wise planning
- Proverbs 2:13 Lit. straight or upright
- Proverbs 2:16 Lit. foreign; i.e. one whose values are foreign to God’s Law
Proverbs 3:13-24
International Standard Version
Wisdom More Valuable than Riches
13 How joyful is the man who finds wisdom,
and the man who gains understanding,
14 because her profit is better than the profit of silver,
and her yield than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire compares with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand,
and in her left are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peaceful.
18 She is a tree of life for those who embrace her,
and whoever clutches her tightly will be joyful.
19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
and by understanding he set the heavens in place.
20 By his knowledge the depths broke open,
and the clouds drip with dew.
Benefits of Wisdom
21 My son, do not let wisdom[a] leave your sight.
Carefully observe sound judgment and discernment,
22 and they will be life to you
and a graceful ornament[b] for your neck.
23 Then you will travel safely on your way,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you sit[c] down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be pleasant.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:21 The Heb. lacks wisdom
- Proverbs 3:22 Lit. grace
- Proverbs 3:24 So LXX; MT reads lie
- Proverbs 3:24 Or sweet
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