Proverbs 2:7-22
English Standard Version
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is (A)a shield to those who (B)walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and (C)watching over the way of his (D)saints.
9 (E)Then you will understand (F)righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 (G)discretion will (H)watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to (I)walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who (J)rejoice in doing evil
and (K)delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose (L)paths are crooked,
(M)and who are (N)devious in their ways.
16 So (O)you will be delivered from the forbidden[a] woman,
from (P)the adulteress[b] with (Q)her smooth words,
17 who forsakes (R)the companion of her youth
and forgets (S)the covenant of her God;
18 (T)for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;[c]
19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
20 So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright (U)will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be (V)cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be (W)rooted out of it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew foreign woman
- Proverbs 2:18 Hebrew to the Rephaim
Proverbs 2:7-22
Holman Christian Standard Bible
7 He stores up success[a] for the upright;
He is a shield for those who live with integrity(A)
8 so that He may guard the paths of justice
and protect the way of His loyal followers.(B)
9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice,
and integrity—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your mind,
and knowledge will delight your heart.
11 Discretion will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you,(C)
12 rescuing you from the way of evil—
from the one who says perverse things,
13 from those who abandon the right paths
to walk in ways of darkness,(D)
14 from those who enjoy doing evil(E)
and celebrate perversion,
15 whose paths are crooked,(F)
and whose ways are devious.(G)
16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,(H)
from a stranger[b] with her flattering talk,(I)
17 who abandons the companion of her youth(J)
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death
and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.(K)
19 None return who go to her;
none reach the paths of life.(L)
20 So follow the way of good people,(M)
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those of integrity will remain in it;(N)
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,(O)
and the treacherous uprooted from it.(P)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:7 Or resourcefulness
- Proverbs 2:16 Or foreign woman
Proverbs 6:20-24
English Standard Version
Warnings Against Adultery
20 (A)My son, keep your father's commandment,
(B)and forsake not your mother's teaching.
21 (C)Bind them on your heart always;
(D)tie them around your neck.
22 (E)When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
(F)when you lie down, they will (G)watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is (H)a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the (I)reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,[b]
from the smooth tongue of (J)the adulteress.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew it; three times in this verse
- Proverbs 6:24 Revocalization (compare Septuagint) yields from the wife of a neighbor
- Proverbs 6:24 Hebrew the foreign woman
Proverbs 6:20-24
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Warning against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.(A)
21 Always bind them to your heart;
tie them around your neck.(B)
22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23 For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,(C)
and corrective discipline is the way to life.(D)
24 They will protect you from an evil woman,[a]
from the flattering[b] tongue of a stranger.(E)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:24 LXX reads from a married woman
- Proverbs 6:24 Lit smooth
Proverbs 7:1-5
English Standard Version
Warning Against the Adulteress
7 (A)My son, keep my words
and (B)treasure up my commandments with you;
2 (C)keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as (D)the apple of your eye;
3 (E)bind them on your fingers;
(F)write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from (G)the forbidden[a] woman,
from (H)the adulteress[b] with her smooth words.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman
Proverbs 7:1-5
Holman Christian Standard Bible
7 My son, obey my words,
and treasure my commands.(A)
2 Keep my commands and live;(B)
protect my teachings
as the pupil of your eye.(C)
3 Tie them to your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(D)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”(E)
and call understanding your relative.
5 She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a stranger with her flattering talk.(F)
Proverbs 10:19
English Standard Version
19 (A)When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
(B)but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Proverbs 10:19
Holman Christian Standard Bible
19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable,
but the one who controls his lips is wise.(A)
Proverbs 14:3
English Standard Version
3 By the mouth of a fool comes (A)a rod for his back,[a]
(B)but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:3 Or In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride
Proverbs 14:3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline,[a]
but the lips of the wise protect them.(A)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:3 Some emend to In the mouth of a fool is a rod for his back
Proverbs 18:10
English Standard Version
Proverbs 18:10
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:10 Lit raised high
Proverbs 21:23
English Standard Version
Proverbs 21:23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
23 The one who guards his mouth and tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.(A)
Proverbs 22:5
English Standard Version
5 (A)Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
whoever (B)guards his soul will keep far from them.
Proverbs 22:5
Holman Christian Standard Bible
5 There are thorns and snares on the path of the crooked;(A)
the one who guards himself stays far from them.
Proverbs 22:24-25
English Standard Version
24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,
25 lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
Proverbs 22:24-25
Holman Christian Standard Bible
24 Don’t make friends with an angry man,[a]
and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered man,(A)
25 or you will learn his ways(B)
and entangle yourself in a snare.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:24 Lit with a master of anger
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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