Proverbs 2:7-22
World English Bible
7 He lays up sound wisdom for the upright.
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 that he may guard the paths of justice,
and preserve the way of his saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
equity and every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter into your heart.
Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you,
12 to deliver you from the way of evil,
from the men who speak perverse things,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness,
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice to do evil,
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 who are crooked in their ways,
and wayward in their paths,
16 to deliver you from the strange woman,
even from the foreigner who flatters with her words,
17 who forsakes the friend of her youth,
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house leads down to death,
her paths to the departed spirits.
19 None who go to her return again,
neither do they attain to the paths of life.
20 So you may walk in the way of good men,
and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will dwell in the land.
The perfect will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land.
The treacherous will be rooted out of it.
Proverbs 2:7-22
International Standard Version
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[a] 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[b] 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[c] 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 2:11 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 6:20-24
World English Bible
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them continually on your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, it will lead you.
When you sleep, it will watch over you.
When you awake, it will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp,
and the law is light.
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 to keep you from the immoral woman,
from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue.
Proverbs 6:20-24
International Standard Version
Parental Counsel about Immorality
20 Keep your father’s commands, my son,
and never forsake your mother’s rules,[a]
21 by binding them to your heart continuously,
fastening them around your neck.
22 During your travels wisdom[b] will lead you;
she will watch over you while you rest;
and when you are startled from your sleep,
she will commune with you.
23 Because the command is a lamp
and the Law a light,
rebukes that discipline are a way of life—
24 to protect you from the evil[c] woman,
from the words of the seductive woman.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:20 Or laws
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. wisdom; i.e. wisdom personified as a woman
- Proverbs 6:24 So MT; LXX reads married
Proverbs 7:1-5
World English Bible
7 My son, keep my words.
Lay up my commandments within you.
2 Keep my commandments and live!
Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers.
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.”
Call understanding your relative,
5 that they may keep you from the strange woman,
from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
Proverbs 7:1-5
International Standard Version
On Avoiding the Immoral Woman
7 My son, guard what I say
and treasure my commands.
2 Keep my commands and you’ll live.
Guard[a] my teaching as you do your eyesight.
3 Strap them to your fingers
and engrave them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You’re my sister!”
and call understanding your close relative,
5 so they can keep you from an adulterous woman,
from the immoral woman with her seductive words.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:2 The Heb. lacks Guard
Proverbs 10:19
World English Bible
19 In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience,
but he who restrains his lips does wisely.
Proverbs 10:19
International Standard Version
19 Transgression is at work where people talk too much,
but anyone who holds his tongue is prudent.
Proverbs 14:3
World English Bible
3 The fool’s talk brings a rod to his back,
but the lips of the wise protect them.
Proverbs 14:3
International Standard Version
3 What a fool says brings[a] a rod to his back,
but the words of the wise protect them.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:3 Lit. The mouth of the fool
Proverbs 18:10
World English Bible
10 Yahweh’s name is a strong tower:
the righteous run to him, and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10
International Standard Version
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
a righteous person rushes to it and is lifted up above the danger.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:10 The Heb. lacks above the danger
Proverbs 21:23
World English Bible
23 Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps his soul from troubles.
Proverbs 21:23
International Standard Version
23 Whoever watches his mouth and tongue
keeps himself from trouble.
Proverbs 22:5
World English Bible
5 Thorns and snares are in the path of the wicked:
whoever guards his soul stays from them.
Proverbs 22:5
International Standard Version
5 Thorns and snares lie in the path of the perverse person,
but whoever is cautious stays far away from them.
Proverbs 22:24-25
World English Bible
24 Don’t befriend a hot-tempered man,
and don’t associate with one who harbors anger:
25 lest you learn his ways,
and ensnare your soul.
Proverbs 22:24-25
International Standard Version
24 Don’t make friends with a hot-tempered man,
and do not associate with someone who is easily angered,
25 or you may learn his ways
and find yourself caught in a trap.
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