Proverbs 2
New Life Version
Wisdom Brings Safety
2 My son, if you receive my sayings and store up my teachings within you, 2 make your ear open to wisdom. Turn your heart to understanding. 3 If you cry out to know right from wrong, and lift your voice for understanding; 4 if you look for her as silver, and look for her as hidden riches; 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find what is known of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom. Much learning and understanding come from His mouth. 7 He stores up perfect wisdom for those who are right with Him. He is a safe-covering to those who are right in their walk. 8 He watches over the right way, and He keeps safe the way of those who belong to Him. 9 Then you will understand what is right and good, and right from wrong, and you will know what you should do. 10 For wisdom will come into your heart. And much learning will be pleasing to your soul. 11 Good thinking will keep you safe. Understanding will watch over you. 12 You will be kept from the sinful man, and from the man who causes much trouble by what he says. 13 You will be kept from the man who leaves the right way to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 from the one who is happy doing wrong, and who finds joy in the way of sin. 15 His ways are not straight and are not good.
16 You will be saved from the strange woman, from the sinful woman with her smooth words. 17 She leaves the husband she had when she was young, and forgets the agreement with her God. 18 For her house goes down to death, and her steps lead to the dead. 19 None who go to her return again, and they do not find the paths of life.
20 So may you walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of those who are right and good. 21 For those who are right with God will live in the land. The men without blame will stay in it, 22 but the sinful will be destroyed from the land, and those who are not faithful will be taken away from it.
Proverbs 2
Contemporary English Version
Wisdom and Bad Friends
2 My child, you must follow
and treasure my teachings
and my instructions.
2 Keep in tune with wisdom
and think what it means
to have common sense.
3 Beg as loud as you can
for good common sense.
4 Search for wisdom
as you would search for silver
or hidden treasure.
5 Then you will understand
what it means to respect
and to know the Lord God.
6 (A) All wisdom comes from the Lord,
and so do common sense
and understanding.
7 God gives helpful advice[a]
to everyone who obeys him
and protects those
who live as they should.
8 God sees that justice is done,
and he watches over everyone
who is faithful to him.
9 With wisdom you will learn
what is right
and honest and fair.
10 Wisdom will control your mind,
and you will be pleased
with knowledge.
11 Sound judgment and good sense
will watch over you.
12 Wisdom will protect you
from evil schemes
and from those liars
13 who turned from doing good
to live in the darkness.
14 Most of all they enjoy
being mean and deceitful.
15 They are dishonest themselves,
and so are all their deeds.
Wisdom and Sexual Purity
16 Wisdom will protect you
from the smooth talk
of a sinful woman,
17 who breaks her wedding vows
and leaves the man she married
when she was young.
18 The road to her house leads
down
to the dark world
of the dead.
19 Visit her, and you will never
find the road to life again.
20 Follow the example
of good people
and live an honest life.
21 If you are honest and innocent,
you will keep your land;
22 if you do wrong
and can never be trusted,
you will be rooted out.
Footnotes
- 2.7 helpful advice: Or “wisdom.”
Proverbs 2
King James Version
2 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
