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10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
    knowledge will be at home in your soul,
11 Discretion will watch over you,
    understanding will guard you;
12 [a]Saving you from the way of the wicked,
    from those whose speech is perverse.
13 From those who have left the straight paths
    to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 Who delight in doing evil
    and celebrate perversity;
15 Whose ways are crooked,
    whose paths are devious;
16 [b]Saving you from a stranger,
    from a foreign woman with her smooth words,(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 2:12–15 As in 1:8–19, there is an obstacle to the quest for wisdom—deceitful and violent men. Cf. also 4:10–19. They offer a way of life that is opposed to the way of wisdom.
  2. 2:16–19 A second obstacle and counter-figure to Wisdom, personified as an attractive woman, is the “stranger,” or “foreigner,” from outside the territory or kinship group, hence inappropriate as a marriage partner. In Proverbs she comes to be identified with Woman Folly, whose deceitful words promise life but lead to death. Woman Folly appears also in chap. 5, 6:20–35, chap. 7 and 9:13–18. Covenant: refers to the vow uttered with divine sanction at the woman’s previous marriage, as the parallel verse suggests. She is already married and relations with her would be adulterous.

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,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
    and delight in the perverseness of evil;
15 those whose paths are crooked,
    and who are devious in their ways.

16 You will be saved from the loose[a] woman,
    from the adulteress with her smooth words,

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:16 Heb strange

10 You will become wise, and your knowledge will give you pleasure. 11 Your insight and understanding will protect you 12 and prevent you from doing the wrong thing. They will keep you away from people who stir up trouble by what they say— 13 those who have abandoned a righteous life to live in the darkness of sin, 14 those who find pleasure in doing wrong and who enjoy senseless evil, 15 unreliable people who cannot be trusted.

16 You will be able to resist any immoral woman who tries to seduce you with her smooth talk,

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10 For (A)wisdom will enter your heart,
And (B)knowledge will be delightful to your soul;
11 Discretion will (C)watch over you,
Understanding will guard you,
12 To (D)rescue you from the way of evil,
From a person who speaks (E)perverse things;
13 From those who (F)leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the (G)ways of darkness;
14 Who (H)delight in doing evil
And rejoice in the perversity of evil;
15 Whose paths are (I)crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;
16 To (J)rescue you from the strange woman,
From the (K)foreign woman who flatters with her words,

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10 For wisdom will enter your heart,(A)
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.(B)

12 Wisdom will save(C) 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,(D)
14 who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,(E)
15 whose paths are crooked(F)
    and who are devious in their ways.(G)

16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,(H)
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

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